Breastfeeding During the Holidays

La Leche League of Waterbury will hold Series Meeting Three, Challenges in Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding during the Holidays, on November 13, 2014. We will also answer any other questions that you may have about breastfeeding your child. The meeting will be held at  6:30 p.m.at the Thomaston Savings Bank, Community Room, 985 Watertown Avenue in Waterbury. Enter in the rear of the building.

New Meeting

The Waterbury La Leche League has begun holding Toddler Meetings! The next meeting will be held this Monday, November 3, 2014 at 10:30am in the Community Room at New Morning Market, 129 Main St. N., Woodbury, CT 06798.  Take the elevator to the second floor.  The Toddler Meeting will address the joys and challenges of extended nursing. 

Of course, all pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are welcome - even if you are not nursing a toddler yet. All of your breastfeeding-related questions will be discussed during the meeting.  Please contact Sondra (sondra.b@LLLCT.org) or Kathrene (kathrene.m@LLLCT.org) with questions. 

Series Meeting Four: Nutrition and the Breastfed Baby

La Leche League of Waterbury will hold Series Meeting Four, Nutrition and the Breastfed Baby, on  August 28, 2014. We will also answer any other questions that you may have about breastfeeding your child. Monthly meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. (except for November and December when meetings are the second Thursday of the month) at the Thomaston Savings Bank, Community Room, 985 Watertown Avenue in Waterbury. Enter in the rear of the building.

The Art of Breastfeeding: Nighttime Parenting

La Leche League of Waterbury will hold Series Meeting Three, The Art of Breastfeeding: Nighttime Parenting, on  July 24, 2014. We will also answer any other questions that you may have about breastfeeding your child.

Many parents of young children hear the dreaded question, “Is your baby a good baby? Does she sleep through the night?” The perception that babies should sleep through the night can make parents think that their children’s frequent night-waking is not normal. Most babies wake several times throughout the night. Newborns can sometimes wake hourly to be fed, which can be overwhelming to a new mother. However, understanding your child’s developing needs may make night-time nursing easier.

Breast milk is easily digestible and a newborn’s stomach is about the size of a walnut. Those two factors mean that a baby needs to nurse often in order to gain weight and develop properly. Nursing frequently also helps a nursing mother maintain her milk supply. Infants will begin sleeping longer stretches throughout the night as their bodies grow and their nutritional needs change.

Factors such as teething, illness, or simply wanting a cuddle may also contribute to nightwaking. The
need for comfort is just as essential to healthy development as the need for food. A child will gain a sense of security when his emotional needs are met by his caregivers. Breastfeeding fills this need for closeness and comfort. A quick snuggle at the breast may be all your child needs to fall back to sleep.

A mother needs her sleep, too. How can a mother balance her own needs and the needs of her child?
Nursing frequently throughout the day, especially before bedtime, may help your child sleep for a longer initial stretch at night. In fact, babies of working mothers may “cluster feed” before bedtime to reconnect with a mother they may miss during the day. Other mothers have found safely co-sleeping
with their children helps. A mother who sleeps next to her infant can wake, nurse her child back to
sleep, and then fall asleep herself without leaving her own bed. Resting throughout the day, taking naps when the baby naps, and sleeping while a family member watches the baby are all ways a tired mother can replenish lost sleep during the day.

Please join the Waterbury La Leche League Group meeting on Thursday, July 24th to brainstorm other ways a breastfeeding mother can get through the night-time nursing phase. Some helpful links for more information can be found at:

Ask Dr. Sears: 10 tips for night feedings

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/feeding-infants-toddlers/10-tips-night-feedings

La Leche League New Beginnings: Issue Four

http://www.llli.org/docs/0000000001_NB_PDF/nb_issue4_10_pdfvers.pdf

Welcome to our new blog

La Leche League of Waterbury is a free community resource for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. The Group meets monthly to help mothers who wish to breastfeed by providing a lending library, answering questions, dispelling old wives’ tales, giving support and confidence, and bringing nursing mothers together. Mothers find a continuing source of information, inspiration, and support at La Leche League meetings. Pregnant women, mothers, and babies are welcome at every meeting.

The mission of La Leche League is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother–to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education; and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.

Series meetings focus on the  developing relationship between mother, child, and family. Please join us for our next meeting, July 24th at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Thomaston Savings Bank, 985 Watertown Avenue in Waterbury. Enter through the rear entrance. This meeting will focus on the challenges of breastfeeding. As always, we will also discuss any breastfeeding questions and concerns.

Breastfeeding support is only a phone call or e-mail away. Please call or e-mail Leaders if you are in need of support or encouragement. To contact a Leader, call or e-mail:

Loreen: 203-598-3313
loreendaigle@juno.com

Louise: 203-574-2199
Louise.W@lllct.org


Kathrene: 860-485-0787
Kathrene.M@lllct.org

Rachel: 203-907-7052
Rachel.E@lllct.org

Sondra: 631-572-1159
Sondra.B@lllct.org