What started in 1956 as a "nice little local group of mothers" has turned into an international organization that has helped thousands of mothers and babies all over the world for more than 60 years.
Two of the Founders, Mary White and Marian Tompson, were sitting under a tree nursing their babies during a church picnic. They were astonished by the number of women who approached them, saying, "I had wanted to nurse my baby, but..." They realized the problems these women had faced in trying to nurse their babies were not unusual. They were convinced each of theses mothers could have nursed her baby if her questions had been answered.
Mary and Marian consulted Mary's husband, Dr. Gregory White, who was supportive of breastfeeding, although he had little practical advice to offer. They searched through his medical books for what little scientific information was available and recalled their own breastfeeding experiences. They decided that the secrets of successful breastfeeding were information, encouragement, and support.
The two women had no formal plans, but they agreed to meet at Mary's house and invite some friends to discuss breastfeeding. Marian called Edwina Froehlich, who in turn invited Viola Lennon. Mary contacted Mary Ann Kerwin, her sister-in-law, and Mary Ann Cahill, who thought of Betty Wagner. These seven met several times during the summer and early autumn to make plans for their breastfeeding group.
It seemed clear that two main worries for new mothers were having enough milk and whether their milk was right for their babies. Mother-to-mother help had been an important source of encouragement for each Founder when she was learning how to breastfeed. Each Founder contributed her own background, experiences, and special talents to the fledgling organization.
The first official meeting was help on October 17, 1956 in Franklin Park, Illinois. The seven Founders and five of their pregnant friends attended. However, the group did not stay small and intimate. To the surprise of the Founders, women they didn't know began showing up. Within a few months, there were so many women asking to come that It was necessary to split into two groups.
The group became more organized, developing a series of four meeting topics. The best-selling book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, began as a course-by-mail in loose-leaf binder form. This information was revised and expanded into the first edition in 1963. More than a million copies were sold before it was revised in 1981. It is currently in its 8th edition and is available in 8 languages.
Today, La Leche League is recognized internationally as the world's foremost authority on breastfeeding. LLLI maintains consultative status with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), maintains official working relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), acts as a registered Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) for the United States Agency for International /Development (USAID), and is a founding member of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA).
As LLLI has grown into an international organization, the primary focus has remained on the personal one-to-one sharing of information and encouragement that provides a new mother with the confidence she needs to breastfeed her baby.
Seven women founded La Leche League International united by a common bond: their mutual appreciation for natural birth and their healthy, happy breastfeeding babies. They nurtured, nursed and practiced what they preached, with a combined total of 63 children, 161 grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren, as of 2008. They were encouraged by enthusiastic husbands, and inspired by their enjoyment to share what they knew with other mothers, in their Elmhurst, Illinois vicinity, who were often asking for guidance on how best to breastfeed their babies.
In the words of each of the seven founders, here are some of their thoughts and history from their journey together.
Mary Ann Kerwin, “In 1956, breastfeeding was a lost and dying art. I believe that never before in the history of the world had a resource as valuable as human milk been so widely discarded.”
Viola Brennan Lennon said "I feel that breastfeeding gives the mother a vision of what a human person is. Personally, it led me to self-discovery and to a greater appreciation of the full humanity of the babies who were entrusted to me. Each woman needs to trust her own instincts, her own feelings, and her own sense of what will work for her with each baby.”
“Childbirth Without Fear,” a book by Grantly Dick-Read, was credited as a powerful and supportive influence for many of the founders. Dr. Dick-Read was quoted for years by La Leche League saying, “The newborn has but three demands: warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breast, and security in the knowledge of her presence—breastfeeding satisfies all three.” In 1957, Dr. Dick-Read was brought in by the La Leche League founders to speak to a packed high school auditorium as a childbirth expert.
Edwina Hearn Froehlich shares her inspiration, “I knew what it had meant to me to be able to share my feelings with another mother. Women wanted to know how to breastfeed their babies but the majority of physicians couldn’t help them. Their expertise was formula feeding.” Neighborhood groups popped up and filled the need, mushrooming quickly as word spread. The foundation of their success was helping mothers to understand that breastfeeding is “a mothering issue most often, and not a medical problem.”
Mary White has said, “The three main obstacles to successful breastfeeding were doctors, hospitals, and social pressures. Women had forgotten the wisdom of previous generations. By the time the La Leche League came along, mothers did not have the support of family and friends, let alone doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Mothers who tried to breastfeed in the 1950s were almost destined to fail.”
Mary Ann Cahill echoed this sentiment, “The main challenge was women’s attitude toward breastfeeding. Women would ask us, “Why would you want to do that (breastfeed)?…There was a strong negative societal environment related to breastfeeding. We trusted our instincts and followed our hearts, and very soon we knew we were right!”
Marian Leonard Tompson, “The best gift you can give your grandchildren is mothering your children.”
You can read more detailed biographies of the Founders here.
Two of the Founders, Mary White and Marian Tompson, were sitting under a tree nursing their babies during a church picnic. They were astonished by the number of women who approached them, saying, "I had wanted to nurse my baby, but..." They realized the problems these women had faced in trying to nurse their babies were not unusual. They were convinced each of theses mothers could have nursed her baby if her questions had been answered.
Mary and Marian consulted Mary's husband, Dr. Gregory White, who was supportive of breastfeeding, although he had little practical advice to offer. They searched through his medical books for what little scientific information was available and recalled their own breastfeeding experiences. They decided that the secrets of successful breastfeeding were information, encouragement, and support.
The two women had no formal plans, but they agreed to meet at Mary's house and invite some friends to discuss breastfeeding. Marian called Edwina Froehlich, who in turn invited Viola Lennon. Mary contacted Mary Ann Kerwin, her sister-in-law, and Mary Ann Cahill, who thought of Betty Wagner. These seven met several times during the summer and early autumn to make plans for their breastfeeding group.
It seemed clear that two main worries for new mothers were having enough milk and whether their milk was right for their babies. Mother-to-mother help had been an important source of encouragement for each Founder when she was learning how to breastfeed. Each Founder contributed her own background, experiences, and special talents to the fledgling organization.
The first official meeting was help on October 17, 1956 in Franklin Park, Illinois. The seven Founders and five of their pregnant friends attended. However, the group did not stay small and intimate. To the surprise of the Founders, women they didn't know began showing up. Within a few months, there were so many women asking to come that It was necessary to split into two groups.
The group became more organized, developing a series of four meeting topics. The best-selling book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, began as a course-by-mail in loose-leaf binder form. This information was revised and expanded into the first edition in 1963. More than a million copies were sold before it was revised in 1981. It is currently in its 8th edition and is available in 8 languages.
Today, La Leche League is recognized internationally as the world's foremost authority on breastfeeding. LLLI maintains consultative status with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), maintains official working relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), acts as a registered Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) for the United States Agency for International /Development (USAID), and is a founding member of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA).
As LLLI has grown into an international organization, the primary focus has remained on the personal one-to-one sharing of information and encouragement that provides a new mother with the confidence she needs to breastfeed her baby.
Seven women founded La Leche League International united by a common bond: their mutual appreciation for natural birth and their healthy, happy breastfeeding babies. They nurtured, nursed and practiced what they preached, with a combined total of 63 children, 161 grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren, as of 2008. They were encouraged by enthusiastic husbands, and inspired by their enjoyment to share what they knew with other mothers, in their Elmhurst, Illinois vicinity, who were often asking for guidance on how best to breastfeed their babies.
In the words of each of the seven founders, here are some of their thoughts and history from their journey together.
Mary Ann Kerwin, “In 1956, breastfeeding was a lost and dying art. I believe that never before in the history of the world had a resource as valuable as human milk been so widely discarded.”
Viola Brennan Lennon said "I feel that breastfeeding gives the mother a vision of what a human person is. Personally, it led me to self-discovery and to a greater appreciation of the full humanity of the babies who were entrusted to me. Each woman needs to trust her own instincts, her own feelings, and her own sense of what will work for her with each baby.”
“Childbirth Without Fear,” a book by Grantly Dick-Read, was credited as a powerful and supportive influence for many of the founders. Dr. Dick-Read was quoted for years by La Leche League saying, “The newborn has but three demands: warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breast, and security in the knowledge of her presence—breastfeeding satisfies all three.” In 1957, Dr. Dick-Read was brought in by the La Leche League founders to speak to a packed high school auditorium as a childbirth expert.
Edwina Hearn Froehlich shares her inspiration, “I knew what it had meant to me to be able to share my feelings with another mother. Women wanted to know how to breastfeed their babies but the majority of physicians couldn’t help them. Their expertise was formula feeding.” Neighborhood groups popped up and filled the need, mushrooming quickly as word spread. The foundation of their success was helping mothers to understand that breastfeeding is “a mothering issue most often, and not a medical problem.”
Mary White has said, “The three main obstacles to successful breastfeeding were doctors, hospitals, and social pressures. Women had forgotten the wisdom of previous generations. By the time the La Leche League came along, mothers did not have the support of family and friends, let alone doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Mothers who tried to breastfeed in the 1950s were almost destined to fail.”
Mary Ann Cahill echoed this sentiment, “The main challenge was women’s attitude toward breastfeeding. Women would ask us, “Why would you want to do that (breastfeed)?…There was a strong negative societal environment related to breastfeeding. We trusted our instincts and followed our hearts, and very soon we knew we were right!”
Marian Leonard Tompson, “The best gift you can give your grandchildren is mothering your children.”
You can read more detailed biographies of the Founders here.