Health / New group promotes the benefits of breastfeeding
A NEW group encouraging more young mums to breastfeed their babies, and supporting them to do so for longer, will be starting in the north mainland of Shetland later this month.
Led by breastfeeding counsellor Charlotte Allam, from Vidlin, the La Leche League Shetland group will meet for the first time in the Brae Gospel Hall on Monday 16 March between 10.30 and 12.30am.
Charlotte, who last summer moved to Vidlin with her husband Steven Robertson and their two children aged one and five, is an accredited La Leche League leader.
She said pregnant mothers, new mothers and experienced mothers are all welcome to meet regularly every third Monday of the month.
“Each meeting will have a topic for discussion as well as time for individual support from the leader and other mums,” she said.
“There’ll be tea and coffee and healthy(ish) home bakes! Group library books and leaflets will also be at the meetings.”
La Leche League aims to help mothers to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information and education.
Charlotte said that breastfeeding plays an important part in the healthy development of baby and mother.
The organisation was formed in 1956 in Illinois, USA, at a time no newspaper would print the word breast, so the founders came up with the rather unusual name derived from the Spanish word for milk.
Today the organisation is promoting the benefits of breastfeeding in 75 countries around the world. There are 81 support groups in the UK with the new one in Brae will be the most northerly in the country.
Charlotte can be contacted for more information via the groups’ Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/lllshetland/
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