Happy Birthday La Leche League! December 27, 2007
LLLI turns 50 this year and here’s a great interview ith one of its founders, Marian Thompson.
LLLI is one of the most successful grassroots women’s health movements in modern history. It’s all about empowering women to help and support other women with information, hands-on support (for free) and research. And it all began with seven 1950s housewives who just wanted to breastfeed their own babies. LLLI has had a profound impact on American culture and has positively impacted the health of millions of babies and mothers.
I was lucky enough to get to eat lunch with Marian Thompson in 2005 and she’s a really funny, clever, warm person. Can you tell I’m a fan of the revolutionary work these women have done?
fabulous article. As an LLL Leader, this is so inspiring. It IS important. I think it is funny, however how the doctor quoted mentions that the baby gets a “little” immunity boost. Hah!
Thank you for keeping LLL in your posts. I also loved a piece you wrote a while back about how LLL leaders really aren’t pushers.
Recently at a meeting, a midwife who was attending to get credit made a comment that LLL was different years past. SHe was surprised that we don’t go preaching. As far as I know, that has never been the LLL way. It is a service that folks need to seek out if they want it, but it is always free. I wondered if she had any personal experiences, or if that was just the reputation that she had believed in. I’ll have to email her and find out.
Tolerance for all is certainly the backbone of the organization. From what I remember of my LLL days, I heard LLL was started by a group of Catholic women. I know their faith inspired them to begin LLL, yet at all of the meetings, trainings and conferences I attended, no religion was ever mentioned. In fact, the religious diversity at LLL playgroups was something I looked forward to.
Congratulations LLL!
I went to LLL for awhile when my baby was younger. I think we started going when she was about 2 months old. It was a nice group of women. There were 2 other nurses there also - we used to joke about the “nursing nurses”
I had no pre-conceived notions of how long I would breastfeed. Early on, I remember thinking it a bit odd that one woman there was still breastfeeding her 2 year old and thinking to myself “Not me!” Hah! Famous last words… my girl weaned at 2 1/2 years old and then only because I had to wean her to use topical chemotherapy myself for pre-skin cancer which was incompatible w/ nursing. No one on either side of my family ever breastfed. “Breastfeeding is gross” my mother feels free to share her opinion. I’m glad LLL gave me the influence and support of some wonderful breast-feeding (and extended breastfeeding) mamas!