In
the United States and in many other countries around the world, La Leche League
International is known as the world’s foremost authority on breastfeeding and
one of the only places for mothers to get mother-to-mother support and accurate information when it comes to breastfeeding.
Despite this fact, La Leche League is not established in the
Muslim world and few Muslim sisters in the United States seem to attend LLL
Meetings or even know about them.
What
Exactly Goes on at La Leche League Meetings?
See
the La Leche League FAQ topic on this question
La Leche League Meetings are not a class or a lecture, but a discussion group where the emphasis is on mothers sharing their experiences. Although each Meeting in a Series has a basic subject, Groups always leave time at the end of Meetings for mothers to ask any other questions they came with, even if the question is not specifically related to the topic of that meeting, so you don't need to wait until a particular Meeting topic to ask your question.
Is
La Leche League a Religious Organization?
Absolutely
NOT. La Leche League is not
affiliated in any way with any religion or religious Group.
When
Groups do meet in churches, they tend to meet in churches of tolerant
denominations. In other words,
it’s not likely that you’ll find a La Leche League Group Meeting in a church
that is openly intolerant of Muslims, such as Southern Baptist.
Instead they tend to meet in churches such as Unitarian or Episcopal
churches which tend to be more open-minded.
Religion
is also an off-limits topic in La Leche League Meetings, even in those Groups
that meet in churches. During the
official Meeting you will not be asked about your religion, nor will religious
issues be discussed.
Who
Attends La Leche League Meetings?
La
Leche League Meetings are for any woman who is interested in breastfeeding,
whether she is pregnant, nursing a baby, or just thinking about breastfeeding.
Babies
and young children are more than welcome at Meetings.
Some large Groups find that they are overrun with toddlers and preschool
children, so in some cases it might be preferable to leave some older,
non-nursing children in another place if you can, but if you cannot find anyone
to care for them and/or they would be unhappy away from you, you may bring them.
In
most cases only women attend LLL Meetings.
Each Group has its own policy about men attending, but for the most part
men do not attend and/or are specifically requested not to attend.
If you want to be sure, call one of the Leaders before the Meeting and
ask. It is highly unlikely that you
will worry about having to juggle nursing in front of a man at a LLL Meeting.
They will also likely keep the door to the Meeting room closed at all
times so as to prevent toddlers from wandering off.
Many Groups sponsor separate Couples’ Meetings for husbands and fathers
who would like to learn about breastfeeding.
La
Leche League Leaders and the women who attend LLL Meetings tend to be open-minded,
kind, tolerant women who will not be shocked, offended, or intolerant of you
as a Muslim woman. La Leche League
historically includes mothers of all races, faiths, and nationalities.
La Leche League publications often mention women who are Arab or Muslim.
Are There Muslim La Leche League Leaders? If so, how can I contact them?
There
are currently at least three Muslim women who are La Leche League Leaders that
we know of, two
in the United States and one in Saudi Arabia.
They would prefer that sisters not try to contact them for breastfeeding
questions because they are busy serving women (both Muslim and non-Muslim) in the areas where they live as well as
taking care of their families. Remember
that La Leche League Leaders are volunteers, and it would be
difficult for them to be overwhelmed by Muslim sisters from all over the world
calling and e-mailing them in addition to their local commitments and their
family obligations. Although they understand that many sisters
might feel more comfortable discussing such issues with another Muslim who
understands their culture and religion,
the Muslim Leaders assure you that non-Muslim La Leche League Leaders do not
bite (see above) and will be happy to provide you with the information and
support that you need.
If
you feel that you absolutely must get your question answered by a Muslim sister
for specific reasons, try one of the online Muslim mother’s forums such as
BirthAlternative, MuslimahBreastfeedingSupport, islamicparenting.org, or contact the Islamic Natural Parenting Page’s WebMama for
other information on were to turn.
“I
heard that La Leche League tells you that you have to nurse your baby for more
than two years but that’s haram in Islam, so we Muslim women should not attend
LLL Meetings.”
We
have heard this statement from several Muslim mothers and feel a strong need to
respond to it. This
is wrong on two accounts:
First: Breastfeeding for longer than two years is not haram in Islam!!! For more information on this subject, please see our article "Is Breastfeeding Longer Than Two Years Forbidden in Islam?"
Second:
La Leche League does not say that a mother “has to” do anything.
Part of La Leche League’s Philosophy is that each mother knows what is
best for herself, her baby, her family, and her situation and that not all
solutions are right for all people.
In fact many LLL Meetings start with the Leaders making this kind of
statement. The Ten Concepts of La Leche League’s Philosophy can
provide you more information about La
Leche League's core beliefs, none of which contradicts Islamic beliefs in any
way. La Leche League is for supporting mothers in their decision to
breastfeed, no matter how long they choose to breastfeed.
Leaders are there to give information and support but not “advice” or
“prescriptions”.
Do
I have to pay anything to attend a La Leche League Meeting? I don’t have a lot of money.
No. La Leche League
Membership is optional and is not necessary in order to attend the regular
Series Meetings at any time. Some
Groups do sponsor additional Meetings (called “Enrichment Meetings”) that
are for members only. However,
attendance at the regular Meetings is always free.
Membership dues, if you are able to pay them, are $36 a year.
They help both the local Group and the other levels of La Leche League
International operate. If you pay dues, you are entitled to full access to the
Group’s lending library, a discount on books and products ordered through the
La Leche League Catalog, and you receive a 1-year subscription to La Leche
League’s magazine for breastfeeding families called “New Beginnings”.
I’m
still not Comfortable with the Idea of Going to a LLL Meeting. Is there Anything Else LLL Can do for me?
If
you don’t want to attend a Meeting you can still call a La Leche League Leader
for information, support, and answers to your questions. Remember that Leaders are mothers who volunteer to answer
calls in their homes on their own time to help mothers so please call at
reasonable hours. Many LLL Leaders
can also answer questions via their personal e-mail if their e-mail address is
listed with their other contact information.
You
can also use the La Leche League website. There
is a searchable databse of articles, FAQs, and a Help Form section where you can
ask a question and the question will be mailed to a Leader who volunteers to
answer the online questions.
See our article "Who Can Answer Breastfeeding Questions? for more information on all the ways La Leche League can help you, with specific links to the various sections of the website.
If
you want to, you
can also pay for La Leche League membership and you will receive the bi-monthly
magazine called “New Beginnings”. Some
Leaders refer to this magazine as a “Meeting in a Mailbox” because, like LLL
Meetings, New Beginnings is all about mothers sharing their ideas and stories.
Most of the content of New Beginnings is submitted by breastfeeding
mothers from around the world.
I don't speak English very well, can LLL still help me?
Call a La Leche League Leader anyway (or have someone who can speak English better call) and tell her you want to ask some questions but you have trouble with the language. Tell her what language you speak. LLL Leaders have access to Leaders all over the world (via the Leader Specialty Database) who speak languages other than English and they can put you in touch with them. La Leche League maintains a database of Leaders who speak languages other than English, as well as a Global Publications Directory of breastfeeding materials available in other languages. There is a wide variety of La Leche League information available in Spanish in particular. The La Leche League Website also lists detailed information about other language help available.
You
may also be able to find somebody who can translate for you, either in a call to
a La Leche League Leader or in a LLL Meeting.
Avoid having another person call on your behalf, as Leaders generally can
only give accurate information to the mother directly, and many will not comment
at all if a third party is calling on your behalf.
It is better if you can call together, either on two ends of the same
phone line, or with both of you present in the room so that your translator can
relay information directly to you during the call and ask you any follow-up
questions the Leader might have.
Currently there is only one La Leche League Leader known who speaks some Arabic and as yet none we are aware of who speak Urdu or Hindi. (We hope to learn of them if they are out there!) Check out the Arabic Breastfeeding Information Website for Arabic language breastfeeding materials in .pdf formats which enable you to view Arabic fonts.
© 2004 Umm Zaynab