Helping Other Moms Succeed

By MommyNEWS, on July 26th, 2013

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about your partner’s role in breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 22nd through August 4th!

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about what helped me to succeed in breastfeeding. Today’s topic asks bloggers to think about what we’ve done to help other moms succeed. That’s a tough one, because I don’t want to make assumptions about what has worked for other mamas!

I will say, though, that I think being so forthright in talking about issues I’ve had and the support networks I’ve used to work through these issues–that talking about these things has hopefully been helpful to other moms. I can think of a number of women in my town who had no idea we had a Breastfeeding Center or even a boutique filled with nursing clothing and supplies to try on in real life. Now these moms know about and utilize both resources.

I’ve also attended La Leche League meetings even when I wasn’t seeking support. I’ve attended meetings to just be another example of a mother who has breastfed her babies, a been-there-done-that mama. I know that for me, seeing that such a thing was possible helped me to visualize myself succeeding. Sometimes, I hear a new mom ask a question and I’ve had just that exact experience, and I’m able to share how my family handled it. Maybe some of this sharing and example setting has been helpful. I sure hope so!

One way I’m positive I helped another mom feel confident about her nursing was unintentional. My family was at a housewarming party and my older son was about 18 months old at the time. In discussing bedtime routines with some other families, I casually mentioned that Miles still nursed to sleep.

It wasn’t even something I thought about, or thought to feel self-conscious about. Just part of the conversation–“Oh, we read stories, and then I nurse him to sleep in the rocking chair.”

Later, another mother at the party thanked me for saying this, because she was still nursing her toddler and was beginning to take some heat about it. Hearing me mention nursing my toddler helped her remember that it’s normal and healthy to nurse toddlers. It also proved that she was not alone, even though sometimes people try to make us feel that way about nursing older babies. So I feel pretty good that my support network for nursing helped me to feel so comfortable with my nursing relationship that I just confidently talked about it with strangers.

What about you? Have you helped another mom succeed at her nursing goals? Leave us a comment to share your experience!

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.