2016 is La Leche League’s 60th
anniversary, so this worldwide breastfeeding support organization is having
some big celebrations. I’m honoured to be participating in two of these events,
one online and the other in Chicago!
Here’s the info:
We’re having an online global LLL meeting
for 24 hours straight on October 1st. Any person, regardless of gender, who is
breast or chestfeeding or planning to breast or chestfeed in the future is
welcome to join us. This is just like a local chapter support meeting, but
online. The meeting is happening on Facebook, and you can join the group for it here.
LLL leaders from around the world are hosting different hours, including
volunteers based in Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Slovenia, Italy, France,
Israel, USA, Mexico, Korea, Netherlands, and more. We’ll post discussion
threads, and folks can ask questions, comment, and share information and
support. My hour, with co-leaders Melissa Kent and Linda Mellway McIntyre, is taking place at 10pm Greenwich Mean Time.
An in-person celebration is taking place in Chicago on October 15th. I’ll be speaking on a panel with five other
leaders, talking about my journey with LLL and why I’m so passionate about this
amazing organization. I’m extra super excited about the evening dinner with LLL
founders, including Marian Tompson. We’ve talked on the phone a few times, and Marian has been a staunch supporter of my path to breastfeeding. I have long been
inspired not only by her work founding LLL, but also her advocacy around
breastfeeding and HIV. This will be my first time meeting her in real life! I’ll
leave you with my favourite Marian Tompson quote from an interview by the Pioneer Press for the Wilmette Life:
When Tompson gave birth to her third
child, a group of 17 hospital employees—externs, interns, even the
receptionist—came to watch. "They circled my delivery table," Tompson
said. "After it was over, one of the residents walked up to my doctor and
said, 'Doctor, how did you do it?'"