La Leche League of Greater Athens - Toddler Meeting

La Leche League Toddler Meeting
Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Gentle Discipline

Join us for a lively discussion about Gentle Discipline. Learn ways to initiate early discipline, to develop your own philosophy/style, and to adapt to your child's changing stages.

Toddler Meetings are for anyone who wants to learn more about the ages and stages of the one- to- two-year-old. Feel free to attend with your under-one-year-old; early exposure to toddler development, stages, issues, and their behaviors is advantageous.

Bring your questions, concerns, and experiences to share with the group.

See you there!

First Tuesday in January
January 6, 2009
10:00 a.m.
St. Stephen’s Anglican Church
Athens, GA

New York Times Magazine Honors Edwina Froehlich

New York Times Honors Edwina Froehlich
NY Times, 12.28.08

The Lives They Lived

With a new year in sight, we have another opportunity to take note of some of the lives that ended in the past 12 months. This is our 15th annual Lives They Lived issue, and as always, we do not try to be comprehensive or definitive in our choices of the people evoked within these pages. Instead, this is an unabashedly idiosyncratic collection, driven by the interests, passions and whims of our editors and writers. We hope you are moved, tickled, intrigued and provoked by reading about these 24 very different lives, all memorably lived.

Philip Agee | b. 1935: Unspooked
George Carlin | b. 1937: Hard Laughs
Will Elder | b. 1921: His Mad World
Bobby Fischer | b. 1943: The Wonder Match
Steve Fossett | b. 1944: The Aviator
Edwina Froehlich | b. 1915: Founding Mothers
Charlton B. Heston | b. 1923: After Ben-Hur
Albert Hofmann | b. 1906: Day Tripper
Kathleen Kinkade | b. 1930: Commune Creator
Harry Kozol | b. 1906: Inside Her Head
John List | b. 1925: Wanted
Mildred Loving | b. 1940: The Color of Love
Harriet McBryde Johnson | b. 1957: Happy Nevertheless
Jim McKay | b. 1921: The Unexpected Anchor
Ron Rivera | b. 1948: Solution in a Pot
Tim Russert | b. 1950: Role Model
Irena Sendler | b. 1910: The Smuggler
Lew Spence | b. 1920: A Tune for His Times
Stephanie Tubbs Jones | b. 1949: A Clinton Loyalist
Levi Stubbs | b. 1936; Dee Dee Warwick | b. 1945: Soul Bearers

Artwork by Nancy Harris Rouemy. Typeface design by Patrick Griffin/Canada Type

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Thank you for visiting the LLL of Greater Athens blog!

November Daytime Series Meeting

Thanks to everyone that attended the daytime Series Meeting!  It was a nice turnout with three new moms attending!  We love to have new people come and receive support.  Our topic was about breastfeeding and the holidays.  Here are some of the tips we came up with.

--If you don't want to play "pass the baby" with the entire family, wear baby in a sling to keep her close.  Wearing baby in a sling will help keep her calm and also allow for nursing in a discreet manner.

--If your baby is eating solid food, be aware that families love to feed the baby.  If you are concerned about what foods baby will be eating, bring her favorite foods along, prepare them and hand baby and food over to eager family member wanting to feed her!

--There is an increase in plugged ducts and mastitis this time of year.  Be aware that it is easy to do too much and run your body down.  Also times can be very busy and we may forget to nurse baby as often.  Remember to drink to thirst, rest, don't over-do and nurse baby often!

--Being around family may cause them to question some of your choices, i.e., breastfeeding, cl-sleeping, etc...  Plan ahead of time what your responses will be and make sure your spouse will be supportive also.

--Be prepared for baby to possibly be more fussy at family gatherings.  Imagine how unsettling it can be for little ones to be in a room with lots of people, noise, etc...  All they know is mom and nursing will make them feel better.  So you may notice an increase in nursing.  That is okay...roll with it!

--Some mothers shared that their baby doesn't nurse well in crowds so they need to find a quiet place to nurse.  Be prepared for this if your little one is very fussy.

--Georgia state law protects mothers and babies.  You are allowed to nurse anywhere you are allowed to be.  You may be asked to leave a room or go somewhere else in a family members home.  Be prepared with your response to this ahead of time so you aren't caught off guard!

Happy Holidays and Happy Nursing!!

LLL of Greater Athens - Holiday Fundraiser

LLL of Greater Athens Schedules Holiday Fundraiser

For the past few years the Athens LLL Group has been participating in the Borders gift wrapping fundraiser. It's a great opportunity for the Group to earn a little money (tips) while having a lot of fun wrapping customers' gifts.

It's time to organize this year's fundraiser! We've reserved three dates/times to wrap at Borders, and we need two-three volunteer-wrappers throughout each session. The volunteer doesn't have to stay the full length of time, any time is greatly appreciated.

Here are the dates & times:

Friday, November 28 - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Black Friday!)
Saturday, December 13 - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, December 18 - 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anyone interested in helping is welcome to volunteer for any length of time during our scheduled time-period. Just email us with the date/time you'd like to wrap. Thank you!

What does LLL of Greater Athens do with the money earned during this fundraiser?

The funds are used in a number of ways to benefit the Group and Community: (to name a few)

--New books are purchased for the Group Library.
--A donation is given to St. Stephen's Church, where we meet each month.
--Financial assistance is made available to Group Leaders so that they can attend breastfeeding education seminars or conferences.
--Other miscellaneous expenses incurred by the Group.

Join us for another fun holiday wrapping season at Borders!

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Christina: greenbeancasserole@gmail.com

Thank you!
LLL of Greater Athens

Washington Post: Breast-Fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child

Breast-Fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 12:00 AM
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Add yet another potential benefit to breast-feeding: Fewer behavioral problems in young children.

Parents of youngsters who were breast-fed as infants were less likely to report that their child had a behavior problem or psychiatric illness during the first five years of life, a new study found.

And the likelihood of mental health issues decreased in proportion to the duration of breast-feeding, meaning that a child who had been breast-fed for a year was less likely to have behavior problems than a child who had been breast-fed for just two months.

"This is an early finding, but it suggests that breast-feeding during infancy could have an effect on behavior during childhood," said the study's lead author, Dr. Katherine Hobbs Knutson, a resident in the department of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

She was to present the findings Wednesday at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting, in San Diego.

Previous research has shown that breast milk offers numerous benefits for babies and that breast-feeding can benefit both mother and infant. Babies who are breast-fed are less likely to suffer from ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, wheezing, and bacterial and viral illnesses, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Research has also linked breast-feeding with a reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and certain cancers, according to the AAP.

For mothers, breast-feeding helps the uterus quickly return to its pre-pregnancy shape and helps burn additional calories, which can help get rid of extra pregnancy weight, the AAP reports. Additionally, breast-feeding is believed to help nurture the mother-child bond.

The new study reviewed more than 100,000 interviews of parents and guardians of children between the ages of 10 months and 18 years who participated in the National Survey of Children's Health. Parents were asked about breast-feeding and about their child's behavior and mental health.

Examples of questions included: Are you currently concerned a lot, a little or not at all about how your child behaves? How he/she is learning pre-school or school skills? Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has behavioral or conduct problems?

Parents of children who were breast-fed were 15 percent less likely to be concerned about their child's behavior, compared to formula-fed infants. And the breast-fed children were 37 percent less likely to have a medically diagnosed behavioral or conduct problem, according to the study.

And, Knutson said, the effect of breast-feeding appeared to be cumulative, with those who were breast-fed for a longer duration even less likely to have behavior problems.

She also said the study found "a correlation between breast-feeding and cognitive development."

"These findings are certainly intriguing," said Dr. Debra Bogen, a pediatrician in the division of general academic pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

The study adds to the "overwhelming evidence that women should, if they can, offer breast milk to their babies," she added.

Both Bogen and Knutson said the nutritional composition of breast milk might have an effect on the way a baby's brain develops, and that better nutrition could explain the behavioral differences. But both experts felt it was too soon to know for sure the exact cause of the potentially protective effect.

SOURCES: Katherine Hobbs Knutson, M.D., resident, department of psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Debra Bogen, M.D., pediatrician, division of general academic pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Oct. 29, 2008, presentation, American Public Health Association annual meeting, San Diego

La Leche League International co-Founder Passes Away

La Leche League International Co-Founder Betty Wagner Spandikow Passes Away

Betty Wagner Spandikow, co-founder of La Leche League International,
and resident of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA, died Sunday October 26th
at the age of 85.

Betty was known internationally as one of the founders of the La
Leche League International (LLLI) and also a co-author of the popular
book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" which has sold over 2 million
copies and has been translated into eight languages and Braille. In
1956, Betty Wagner and six other women met in Franklin Park, Illinois
to share information on how to successfully breastfeed their
babies. From these roots, La Leche League developed into an
international organization with breastfeeding support groups in every
state and 68 different countries.

Betty not only attended the first LLLI meeting, but she also became
the group's first treasurer and business manager, positions she held
until 1975. She was also a member of the LLI Board of Directors and
was their Chief Executive Officer for 19 years from 1972 until 1991
when she retired. As CEO, Betty initiated flex hours and a
family-friendly workplace in the '60s, long before they became the
popular perks they are today. Business hours at the La Leche League
International office were set to allow parents to be home with their
children after school. Betty's ideas about work teams and home
offices were also far ahead of their time. It was these types of
innovations that played a role in enabling the organization, made up
mainly of mothers, to grow and be effective in a highly structured
business world. After she retired as CEO, she remained a member of
the LLLI Founders Advisory Council until her death.

Betty was a sought-after speaker who discussed breastfeeding and
parenting at conferences throughout the U.S. and in countries such as
Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, New
Zealand, Canada and El Salvador. She also spoke at the United Nations.

Betty had seven children. She is survived by children - Robert
Wagner (Pam) Marco Island FL; Peggy Dowd Henderson (Ric) Marietta GA;
Dorothy Rasmussen, Portage, MI and Helen Huntley (Brian Bleess)
Wheaton, IL. Betty is also survived by 26 grandchildren and 22
great-grandchildren. Her second husband, Paul Spandikow resides in Paris, TN.

She is preceded in death by her first husband, Robert Wagner, and
children Gail Gratzianna, Wayne Wagner, Mary Wright and grandson
Andrew Wright.

Details for a "celebration of life" are pending and more information
will be available at www.llli.org. In support
of the organization that Betty helped found, the family requests
donations be made, in lieu of flowers, to La Leche League
International, 957 N. Plum Grove Road, Schaumburg, IL, USA 60173 or
online at www.llli.org