To answer some of the questions put forth on these topics: NO we don't
have a LLL group in our community. There is not one for miles. Believe
it or not, downtown Chicago has no LLL Groups. My hospital, and the
clinics we service, are on the lower West Side of Chicago. Gunshot
capital of the world, I've heard it called. (or the wild west). The
mothers I work with are not of my culture or ethnic group so it's very
important to have some trained "counselors" who are. I have faciltiated
the beginning of the Group along with one of our family practice
residents who is doing this as her community outreach project for med
school. (She is the mother of 3, all breastfed) The peer counselor
training is being done by the Manager of the PC Program from La Leche
League (Kathy Baker, take a bow) and the six week course included
written and reading assignments and tests and quizes. This is a very
different scenario for some of our moms who never finished high school
(not all but one of them). Our program is privileged to have a peer
counselor with years of experience and training who is now a Certified
Lactation Counselor. I'm hoping she will take the exam next year. Her
position is full time, salaried and with benefits. We encourage
continuing education, provided for by the hospital, funded by my
program. Our support group is run very similarly to a LLL group. I have
been a Leader for almost 20 years and what attracted me to the Group is
that the ladies who attended were from my neighborhood, village, town
whatever you want to call my little Chicago suburb. Even the hospital
groups I've worked with, used the LLL "format." We advertise the
meetings on posters and flyers and say "breastfeeding? interested in
breastfeeding? looking for other mothers like yourself?" We use the BAB,
the WAB and other LLL materials to share with our moms. So it is a very
LLL oriented philosophy and supported by LLL materials (we are a BRC).
As the administrator of the Lactation Program, I have to consider the
needs of the clients we serve.
Hope this helps to clarify the issue I was bringing to the discussion
Mary Kay Smith, IBCLC
live in Romeoville, work in Chicago

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