I am currently the lone Leader here in the Chambana area. I have been a Leader for three+ years, and as Leaders, we are all volunteers who love what we do! In a given month, I lead two meetings, (one morning and one evening), return phone calls/e-mails/texts to Moms who have questions that can be answered from afar, and I also do home visits for families who need one-on-one assistance with things that need to be seen in person, i.e., latch issues, sleepy baby, etc. I average approximately 40-60 messages, and do a handful of home visits per month, so it keeps me very busy! I also tend to our chapter library of over 100 breastfeeding and child care books, generate monthly reports, keep track of our finances, organize events for World Breastfeeding Week and annual fundraisers, and train new Leader applicants. We have a local chapter website (which is currently getting a face-lift!), and both a Facebook group and page (www.facebook.com/LLLofCU). I also work with Tree of Life Doula Services and Birth Resources as their lactation support person, and provide the same services as above. I just took my IBLCE boards this week, and hope to become a private practice International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, providing in-home breastfeeding consultations upon certification.
There are so many excellent resources in the Chambana area for breastfeeding mothers. Mother-to-mother support groups like La Leche League, Breastfeeding USA, and the CUPHD weekly BFF group are all excellent places to connect with other breastfeeding Moms and to get support. Both hospitals in town, Presence and Carle, have Lactation Consultants on staff who take appointments for moms who need those services, as does CUPHD, and they also provide breast pump rentals as well. We work closely with the peer counselors at WIC too, and they are also wonderful!
I am so excited for the Big Latch On Event this year! La Leche League of Champaign-Urbana is collaborating with CUPHD to hold the Big Latch On Event during the Mommy Baby Expo at Lincoln Square Mall and we are expecting a great turn-out! The Big Latch On is a lot of fun! It is an international event where groups of breastfeeding women come together at registered locations, and they all latch on their child to breastfeed for one minute while being counted by witnesses. The numbers are added up and then we submit them to the registry in hopes of setting a new world record! I believe the current record is from the Phillipines, where 3,738 women in the same location simultaneously latched on. We are cautiously optimistic! Registration begins at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 3 at the east wing of Lincoln Square Mall.
Yes, I graduated from veterinary school in 2002, and worked in private practice full-time until my first son was born, then began working on Saturdays only so I could be a stay-at-home mama. I had difficulties breastfeeding with my first, and was so passionate about it, I decided if I could make it through, I would do everything possible to get the training I needed to help other Moms who needed assistance. I completed the accreditation process with La Leche League, and loved working in this field so much, I decided to pursue it as a career. I completed all of my prerequisite coursework toward becoming an IBCLC last year, and have spent the past 12 months studying for boards. I love my job so much!
My boys think I have an awesome job! They all three LOVE babies, and my oldest has been known to accompany me on home visits in the past, and offer his assistance :). They ask me every time I get home from a home visit what the family needed help with, and they check all of their friends for tongue-ties! Yes, really…
We spend a LOT of time at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet. My boys are all nature and animal lovers, and the red bridge is where you’ll usually find us, exploring and searching for new creatures to observe.