Little did I know when I attended my first La Leche League Canada (LLLC) meeting eight years ago that it would evolve into leading two thriving LLLC groups in the Sea to Sky corridor.
I went to my first LLLC meeting seeking logistical breastfeeding support, and what I found was a community of like-minded parents.
They supported one another without judgement, and far beyond breastfeeding/chestfeeding. Pregnant with my second child and with my toddler in tow, the drive into North Vancouver was always worth it, and the meetings became a haven of support and community.
Seeking that same support closer to home, I found retired LLLC Leaders in the Sea to Sky corridor, but there were no active groups.
It was the knowledge and care of the Leaders along with the non-judgmental atmosphere of peer support in the meetings that I wanted to bring to Squamish.
A Squamish group was on the horizon after becoming an accredited LLLC Leader in January of 2015 with the support of the Leaders in the North Vancouver group.
In March of 2015, I facilitated LLLC Squamish’s first meeting. Since its inception, our local group has flourished with Vanessa Senecal becoming a LLLC Leader in March 2019 and a Whistler group opening in September 2019.
This past March, we celebrated five years of supporting pregnant and new parents with breastfeeding/chestfeeding information, encouragement, and community.
The name “La Leche” (pronounced La Lay-chay) means “the milk” in Spanish, and was adopted in part because the word “breastfeeding” was not acceptable at the time.
La Leche League International (LLLI) was founded in 1956 in Illinois by seven mothers whose goal was to offer information and encouragement to any parent who wanted to breastfeed/chestfeed.
From the beginning, LLLI has provided evidence-based help to parents by working with medical experts to ensure the accuracy of information shared.
The relevant medical details on breastfeeding/chestfeeding remain the standard for Leaders today.
Accredited LLLC Leaders are volunteers who have experience breastfeeding or chestfeeding. LLLC Leaders facilitate group meetings, keep the group running, and attendees updated on events.
We support families via email, text, phone, as well as virtually. Currently, both our Squamish and Whistler groups are available in a virtual format.
We look forward to being able to meet in-person again and, in the meantime, are enjoying seeing local families participate in the virtual meetings.
Now more than ever, we know how challenging breastfeeding/chestfeeding can be and are happy to support new families through a variety of virtual options.
Details for virtual meetings can be found at LLLC.ca or on our facebook page “La Leche League Squamish & Whistler”. For support and encouragement outside of our meetings please contact Kimberly: lllsquamish@icloud.com or Vanessa: vanessa.senecal@lllc.ca
Kimberly Daniels has lived in Squamish with her husband and two children for a decade. Kimberly has been a LLLC Leader since 2015 and has worked as a Doula supporting over four hundred families during their births in the Sea to Sky Corridor. She is a childbirth educator and has recently been accepted into the Midwifery Program at UBC.
