Happy IBCLC DAY!

Today is IBCLC day - a day to celebrate the more than 16,000 International Board Certified Lactation Consultants in 70 countries worldwide. They are mothers, grandmothers, nurses, doctors, current and retired La Leche League Leaders, public health professionals, women AND men and most importantly individuals who understand and value the importance of breastmilk and breastfeeding.

Today, I want to say THANK YOU to each of you who have studied, worked with mothers, fathers and babies and have taken and passed the IBLCE exam and continued to get education in order to serve the families in your community. You work as a detective - putting together the puzzles of lactation challenges and devising plans to get reluctant babies back to the breast all the way to helping a mother with a medical challenge balance breastfeeding and medical treatments. You work LONG hours and are not paid what you are worth. Most of you pay for your own training, seek out your own mentors and often work in challenging or hostile environments.

THANK YOU for your dedication, your hard work, your respect of the mother-baby dyad. THANK YOU for not giving up, for supporting, for listening and for being a part of the healthcare team.

THANK YOU for being there and for answering the call to be a servant and a guide! For all your work and dedication - I say THANKS!!

God Bless the Lactation Consultants! Hip Hip Hooray! It's IBCLC DAY!

Slurp N Burp - The Blog!

While at the La Leche League International 50th Anniversary Conference this past summer I tried to visit the exhibit hall as much as possible. I didn't have nearly enough time to look at all the innovative products and ideas surrounding breastfeeding. My favorite part was meeting all these amazing mamas and papas who came up with breastfeeding related products to solve their own problems and help others.

One really creative, brilliant and innovative mama I met was Missy, inventor of the Slurp N Burp. I was so impressed I bought one for myself and several to sell.

Missy has started joined the world of blogging. And here's the exciting part - the blog is going to be interactive. She wants your stories, your thoughts, your experiences to pass on to the rest of the world. She will be sharing the thoughts of a different mama each day.

So, visit Share the Joys of Breastfeeding and Share your joys with the world!