New LLL Helpline

When the Mermaid was born, she had a weak latch. However it was quickly fixed and we were able to establish our breastfeeding relationship with no major bumps in the road.

It was a different story with the Guppy.

While I was lucky not to have any major problems when first trying to breastfeed the Guppy, I will say that it was painful. And that my nipples looked like raw hamburger for the first three weeks of the Guppy's life.

The point that I hit rock bottom happened to occur at 2am. I was up on the couch, crying and trying to tolerate the pain of nursing the Guppy. I couldn't figure out what was wrong: her latch looked correct, it looked like she was nursing like she should. But it hurt very badly.

Out of desperation, I logged online and visited the wonderful Kelly Mom website. There I found a page on the correct way to latch the baby on your breast with pictures. This is what saved me: using the pictures as a guideline, I was eventually able to get the Guppy latched on correctly and my nipples were able to heal.

Although I was very thankful for the wonderful resources I found on Kelly Mom, and although I feel a sense of pride that I was able to overcome my breastfeeding issues on my own, I did feel awfully lonely in the wee hours of that morning. I can still remember my feelings of frustration and fear that I harbored as I cried while the Guppy's poor latch destroyed my nipples. At that point, I would have cut off my arm for one minute of reassurance from a calm, understanding and helpful voice.

Now, thanks to La Leche League, mothers who are put in the same position as me have the chance to hear such a voice.

The La Leche League Breastfeeding Helpline is now available in the United States. It is a 24-hour toll-free helpline service. The number is 1-877-4 LaLeche (1-877-452-5324).

I believe that this helpline is a wonderful, much needed resource for breastfeeding moms. Now moms have a kind, reassuring voice to turn to in the middle of the night (or day!) when things seem desperate, when they are close to calling it quits.

I urge everyone to pass this number on to any breastfeeding moms that they know. Isn't it wonderful to be able to receive support 24 hours a day?

New LLL Helpline