The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Photograph by Skye Dunlap Chris Sullivan spends a moment with her children, 6-month-old Jon Michael and two-year-old Elizabeth, between sessions at a La Leche conference at the Sunnyvale Hilton. La Leche is an organization that educates about breast-feeding and promotes the rights of nursing mothers. La Leche supports nursing mothers By Michelle Ku In a place where breast-feeding was not the norm, Chris Sullivan made a decision that changed her life: She chose to nurse her child. "Breast-feeding was a way that I could fill almost every need Elizabeth had when she was an infant," Sullivan said. "I didn't have to worry: was she hungry, tired or needing attention? I could put her to my breast and knew that she was getting what she needed. I could respond from my heart to her." With the support of a La Leche League chapter in Minnesota two years ago, Sullivan not only learned how to properly breast-feed her child, but learned not to be ashamed of the natural process. "I breast-fed everywhere," said Sullivan, who is now a leader in the San Jose/Almaden chapter. "I made a decision in my mind early on not to think about it. I wasn't going to think about who was watching. I was going to nurse whenever she needed to be nursed. I was surprised by how much positive and supportive reaction I got from people. I never received a negative reaction, but I projected an air of confidence. I knew I was meeting my baby's needs." More than 300 people met at the Hawaii and Northern California La Leche Leagues' conference last weekend at the Sunnyvale Hilton to talk about concerns shared by nursing mothers like Sullivan. Topics included the benefits of breast-feeding, promoting nursing in the community and legal rights for breast-feeding mothers. "I'm really happy that the conference is in Sunnyvale," said Nancy Ewing, a leader of the Sunnyvale La Leche group. "I really enjoyed the conferences I've gone to. It's a combination of nuts and bolts of breast-feeding as well as personal information." A group of seven nursing mothers founded La Leche in 1956 to provide information, support, encouragement and education to breast-feeding women. Today there are more than 3,000 La Leche League groups in 60 countries. Ewing first joined La Leche 10 years ago when she was having problems nursing her daughter, Laura. After contacting an area leader, Ewing received the help she needed. "Seeing mothers who have gone through similar experiences as I have and how they solved their problems was helpful," Ewing said. Today, Ewing is one of five leaders who organize the monthly meetings for Sunnyvale's La Leche group. The monthly meetings usually draw an average of 15 to 20 Sunnyvale moms, Ewing said. Problems nursing women experience include not holding the baby properly, not producing enough milk and weaning at the appropriate time. Sullivan said the issue of when to stop breast-feeding is controversial. "The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended babies receive a diet of mother's milk for about a year," she said. "One of the aspects of La Leche League's philosophy is that it's a choice--a mother has to allow the baby to nurse until the baby outgrows the need." At some La Leche League functions, it would not be uncommon to see nursing toddlers, Sullivan said. Through the league's premise of mother-to-mother support, Sullivan learned about the benefits of breast-feeding. "I didn't know anyone who had breast-fed, but I thought it was a natural thing to do," Sullivan said. "I had heard it was better for your baby, but I really didn't know. I was literally having nightmares when I was pregnant. I wanted to breast-feed very much, but I didn't know what to do." Through La Leche's support, Sullivan learned to do what was natural for her. "La Leche has been the absolutely central support for my family," Sullivan said. "It has been a place where I've gotten a lot of my questions answered and my fears allayed about breast-feeding." For more information about La Leche League, contact Nancy Ewing of the La Leche League of Sunnyvale at 749-1594 or La Leche League of the Greater San Jose at 264-0994. [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 21, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.