About Us
La Leche League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-sectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to families who want to feed human milk to their children.
La Leche LEague
What We Do
We help families to breastfeed through peer-to-peer support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
What We Offer
All nursing parents and expectant parents interested in breastfeeding, chestfeeding, or human-milk feeding are welcomed and encouraged to attend our free meetings or contact our Leaders for nursing help.
In an effort to provide breastfeeding resources and support, we:
- Provide free meetings led by volunteer Leaders who are experienced with human milk feeding and accredited through La Leche League International
- Offer support between meetings by phone, email, text, and social media
- Create a community of support, encouragement, and compassion by bringing nursing families together
- Help parents learn about the ages and stages of breastfeeding
- Educate parents about the ages and stages of breastfeeding and realistic breastfeeding expectations
- Do all of this completely free of charge
La Leche LEague Leaders
Accredited by La Leche League International, volunteer Leaders are experienced breastfeeding parents who are familiar with research and current findings dealing with all aspects of nursing. La Leche League Leaders offer practical information and support to parents through telephone help, monthly meetings, and lending libraries of books on childbirth, breastfeeding, and related parenting topics.
Philosophy
- Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.
- Human milk is the natural food for babies, uniquely meeting their changing needs.
- Alert, active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.
- Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying breastfeeding relationship and reliable milk supply.
- Breastfeeding is enhanced by the loving support of the baby’s father, a co-parent, a partner, and/or close family members who value the breastfeeding relationship.
- In the early years, the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.
- For the healthy, full-term baby, human milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of readiness for complementary foods, about the middle of the first year after birth.
- Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.
- Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the child outgrows the need.
- From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings.
Inclusivity
We at La Leche League have all nursed our babies. If you want to do the same, whoever you are, whatever your story is, we’re here to help.
LLL is committed to serving everyone inclusive of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental ability, socio-economic status, political views, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, or other protected status.
Mountain Plains
Our Area
Leche League is comprised of local Groups that are run by one or more Leaders. These Groups report to their Areas for support and guidance. These Areas then report to their Direct Connect Entities (DCEs). All La Leche League DCEs are under La Leche League International and adhere to the same mission and standards.