La Leche League Area Conference- Amazing!

Not only did our weekend start with a Glenn Beck show, but we finished it off with a 2-day La Leche League Area Conference. For 2 days I was blessed to learn at the feet of some of my personal heroes. I attended a luncheon with Dr. Jack Newman as the guest speaker. I sat only 10 feet from him while he gave a talk on "Controversies In Breastfeeding". Now Dr. Newman is a very well respected physician with regards to breastfeeding information. I have studies his works for many years now. It is impossible to convey how amazing it was to actually hear him speak and say the things that I have known to be true for so long. I actually wanted to kiss the man. He was so sweet and funny. He really has quite the personality. I also attended another class that he taught about using bottles in the early days and the affect it has on the baby's ability to latch onto the breast.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that I attended a great class taught by Marian Thompson one of the 7 founding mothers of La Leche League. She is a dear sweet lady. I also attended a session hosted by Lysa Parker who is one of the founders of Attachment Parenting International. Somewhere in all of that mix were various sessions on dealing with teens, taking charge of your fertility, and homeschooling. The final luncheon on Sunday included a talk by Dr. Thomas Hale. He has done years of research on medications and their affects on breastfeeding. He covered the use of antidepressants in nursing mothers. It was a lot of information!

To sum it all up.....it was just WOW! I have read the books and subscribed to the principles taught by these wonderful people throughout most of my mothering career. I use a lot of this information and depend on their research to help me in my volunteer capacities helping mothers breastfeed their babies. It was beyond amazing to shake their hands and hear the words from their own mouths. It was something I will never forget.