This is a guest post by Suchada of Mama Eve. Suchada's blog offers wise and inspiring advice about natural parenting.
It was a great honor for me a couple of months ago to become accredited as a La Leche League leader, and I was thrilled when Charise asked me to write about my experience.La Leche League (LLL) was the most pivotal organization to who I am as a mother, and I am forever grateful that they exist and I found them.I'd heard about them before I was pregnant, and knew it was a breastfeeding support group, but learned more about them when I took Bradley class during my pregnancy. Our instructor encouraged us to attend one meeting, and preferably an entire four-session series if we could while we were still pregnant.At first I thought it was a bit much; after all, I'd read plenty of books and was familiar with all the reasons I wanted to breastfeed. What I realized after I went to my first meeting was that while LLL is a fantastic source of information, it's really the community and camaraderie that are so important to establish before baby arrives.I thought I would have an easy time breastfeeding (my mother breastfed me, and I hadn't ever actually seen a baby fed from a bottle until I was an adult), and I was surprised when I had a lot of difficulty. I found another breastfeeding group in my area that I could go to a few times a week, and it was wonderful to meet other new mothers, but it wasn't the same as LLL.There is just something about having a mix of mothers, from those with adult children to school-age to toddlers to the youngest babies all in one place supporting each other with their shared wisdom that is irreplaceable.After just a few months, I knew I wanted to be part of the organization and contribute to what was an invaluable resource to me. The first year of breastfeeding flew by quickly, but soon after I hit that mark which is the initial qualification to become a LLL leader, my military husband was transferred to another base.I was pregnant again already, and had some complications, and didn't find the local LLL group for a few months. Then it took me a while before I felt comfortable saying I was interested in leadership.When I finally got the ball rolling, I was very thankful to have an experienced leader (with over 30 years under her belt!) walk me through the process. I'd done a lot of the required reading and familiarized myself with the LLL philosophy already, and so was able to quickly move through those portions of the leader-applicant coursework.My local leader spent a few hours with me every week over the course of about four months talking about what was expected of me as a leader, the types of situations I would be likely to encounter, and practicing taking phone calls and talking through breastfeeding difficulties. She was so generous with her time, and she spent as much time getting to know me and my children as she did mentoring me -- and this is one of the keys to why I love La Leche League.Every long-standing LLL mother I've ever met is generous with her time and her knowledge, and genuinely interested in helping women succeed in breastfeeding. I understand that in some circles, LLL is known as an activist organization that puts women off with its zeal for breastfeeding, and I'm sure there are some members whose enthusiasm can be off-putting to some.But the philosophy behind the support LLL gives isn't one of putting down other choices -- it truly is designed to support women who choose to breastfeed, and to provide them a myriad of resources to help them succeed.The mothers there not only supported me through my first difficult weeks, but they showed me a model of motherhood and womanhood that I wanted to emulate. Their kindness, generosity, and gentleness with their children, with others, and with themselves is something that I continue to be in awe of, and inspires me to work on those qualities in myself.La Leche League is about mothers supporting mothers. If you're pregnant and want to breastfeed, or have a new baby, or even if you're an experienced breastfeeding mother and have never been to a meeting, I encourage you to go. All of you are welcome, and all of you have something to add to the group. I hope you find it as fulfilling experience as I have._________________Suchada is a La Leche League leader and blogs about natural parenting at MamaEve.com. She is a mother to two energetic toddler boys and lives with her husband in the Eastern California desert.