I have been running a new mother's support group 2 x a month for the past two
years. I invite every mother I see for a consult or a pump rental - average
is eight to ten mothers each time. There is a small fee. I always have a
topic in my mind but for the most part the format is guided discussion based
on the needs of the group that day ( my social worker hat comes into play
here, also LLL background). Near the end of the hour and a half I ask if
anyone has a question that hasn't been answered yet.

 The group is enjoyable for me and loved by the mothers, many of whom have
formed friendships as a result. Currently five of the mothers who live near
each other have started a walking group -it must be a lovely sight, all of
them striding out together with babes in their strollers and carriers.

Last Halloween, they decided to dress up their babies for group and it was so
much fun seeing their infants with bunny ears, and other simple "costumes".
We took lots of pictures.

I find that the mothers who come to group nurse much longer than they
originally intended to. So I started a second group for mothers with babies
eight months and older to address the different issues that come up for them.


There are recurring themes: exhaustion, feeling fat, fathers who don't
help/are jealous; the whole gamut of sexuality, coping with fussy
babies,wakeful babies, sleeping with baby, feeding to sleep, spoiling,
interfering relatives, nursing in public...feelings about returning to work,
why they're still bf  (this is when the joy of bf comes out ), and I usually
ask what they have done for themselves this week.

Each session I hand out an article from my stash of favorites gathered over
the past 20 years. I tell them nothing changes. The date may be 10 or 15
years old, and it's as current as today. Sometimes it's a piece from New
Beginnings or the NMAA Newsletter -but the common denominator of everything I
hand out is the joy of breastfeeding, and what makes it special.

I designed a sign in sheet on the computer to keep track of who attends and
their baby's name and age. After group I note on the sheet the issues
discussed and the article handed out. I use the sheets with the names and
addresses as my mailing list for group reminders which I print up two to a
sheet on the computer using hot pink paper (visible, doesn't get lost under
piles of other papers, stands out when posted on the fridge). One of these
days I'll figure out how to do labels on the computer. In the meantime I
address by hand.

I was an LLL Leader for ten years and I encourage my group members to seek
out LLL for extra support. Some of them do, and have even gone on to become
Leader Applicants. It's very gratifying. Others start out with very rigid
ideas about mothering and ever so gradually, through exposure to group, shift
their viewpoint. That's gratifying too !

Beverley Rae, MSW CSW IBCLC
Manhasset, NY