I started coming to LLL Kingston when my daughter was just a few days old and was struggling to latch on. The advice and support I received was invaluable in helping me to get through this period. I continue to attend regularly - it is great to have a support network of like minded people, who are going through, or have been through, the same things that I am. - Annette, Worcester Park
I was very keen to breastfeed so I got the LLL book 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding' when I was pregnant and found it really informative. Then when things went wrong in the first couple of weeks and I ended up with mastitis, thanks to that book I didn't give up but instead reached out for help. I was in so much pain and so emotional in the first few weeks I didn't want to leave the house! But thanks to some wonderful support from a breastfeeding counsellor and that LLL book, things slowly got better. Once we were up and running with the feeding I decided to check out the LLL group in Kingston as I was hoping to meet likeminded mothers. I had a lovely NCT group but I was the only one breastfeeding and cosleeping and sometimes I felt a bit alone with it. At my first meeting everyone was so nice and there were lots of mums with older babies and toddlers who were bfing and bedsharing which was amazing because for the first time I didn't feel like the odd one out! I didn't think I would continue to breastfeed past my baby's first birthday but when the time came and everyone around me weaned I realised that it didn't feel right for us to stop. I was anxious for advice and support about what to do and wanted to know what it was like to breastfeed a toddler from mums who had actually done it. So I started attending the LLL coffee mornings and toddler meetings which gave me exactly what I needed. LLL is such a lovely organisation, they don't judge they just offer support and advice on what ever issues you are facing and its up to you to take it or leave it. And you might just make some good friends there as well! - Georgina, Surbiton
Before my baby was born I knew I wanted to breastfeed her so I came to a couple of the LLL meetings which was really helpful in thinking about what I could do that would help me and knowing where to go if I had any problems. I was really glad I did this because it turned out that neither I nor my baby knew what we were doing - it certainly wasn't as easy as you're sometimes led to believe! - and the help from the LLL leaders in those early days was invaluable. Their support, ideas and encouragement enabled me to carry on breastfeeding even though in the first few weeks every feed was so painful, and slowly, with their ongoing help, it got easier and easier. A year on and we're still going strong, I love breastfeeding my baby, it makes her so happy and it's a really good start and end (and middle) to our day. The meetings and coffee mornings have also been really good for meeting other breastfeeding mums, sharing ideas and getting (and giving!) support, not just about breastfeeding but about being a new mum - it's great because there are mums of babies and toddlers of all ages so there are always people who can empathise and offer suggestions and ideas. The support I got from LLL was invaluable in those first few weeks and definitely helped me to keep going which I'm so glad about, and now that my baby is turning into a toddler I continue to find LLL a brilliant support in bringing up my beautiful nursing toddler. - Beth, Surbiton
I was returning to work after having 9 months off with my baby. I was very happy to breastfeed but I was becoming more and more anxious about how to continue to breastfeed when going back to work. When I visited a breastfeeding counsellor I explained that I did not want to give up breastfeeding after only 9 months and would want to continue for a longer period. She recommended I attend the next Kingston LLL meeting to discuss how to continue to breastfeed when returning to work and get the support I would need for the long term. While on Maternity Leave I was able to attend the LLL Kingston meetings which gave me support on what I really strongly believed in. Once back to work I started attending the coffee mornings and met like-minded people who also had other similar interests to me like attachment parenting. Both the LLL Kingston meetings and Coffee mornings have encouraged me firstly to continue to breastfeed my son for over 3 years, secondly continue to breastfeed my daughter who is currently two-and-a-half years old and thirdly make friends with like minded people. - Lucinda, Kingston
I got to know about LLL Kingston about 5/6 weeks into a disastrous breastfeeding experience as a first time mum; first over the phone and then in person. I was reassured by the kind support I received. My hope of being able to successfully breastfeed my child was given a lift with the tips and information leaflets I was given. I received one on one help from a group leader whenever I needed it and I’ve found conversations during group meetings interesting and helpful. There is nothing like hearing about other people’s challenges and victories on their breastfeeding journey. I have learnt so much about breastfeeding through the group and this has empowered to take necessary measures to protect and sustain my breastfeeding relationship. My little one and I couldn’t be on our way to breastfeeding for almost 17 months without LLL Kingston’s support. - Mo, Surrey
I really enjoy the older baby and toddler meetings. It is great to be part of a community of breastfeeding mothers to know I am not alone, to get empathy and support and feel safe to admit it's not always easy, knowing the answer won't be "stop breastfeeding". Often I get useful ideas from the leaders, Nik and Clare, and other mothers, and often it just helps to know others are in the same boat and it's normal. I don't often go with a "problem" - I love that LLL is not just a clinic but somewhere you can go regularly to spend time with other breastfeeding families. Sometimes I need support, sometimes I can support others. I always come away feeling refreshed and confident in my way of parenting and have made some good friends. - Jodie, Worcester Park
The thing I like most about La Leche is all the support! I am so glad I found this wonderful group in Kingston. It's wonderful to meet other moms who are also breastfeeding older babies, I am no longer feeling isolated. Very friendly mums here! and also professionals to share experiences. I am still breastfeeding my 23 months old son! - Ting, London I went to my first LLL meeting in Kingston when my second baby was only 2 weeks old. She had tongue-tie which had just been operated on. I had suffered so much pain until then, and was so desperate to make sure breastfeeding worked for her as well as it had done for my son (who I breastfed for over two years), so I decided I needed some support. Right from the first meeting I felt so welcome and a part of the group. It was the perfect nurturing, welcoming, understanding and supporting environment I needed. I was able to share my concerns and receive support and advice from not only the group leader but other mums. It was wonderful. I've attended every month for seven months now. It wasn't long before I was also able to start offering support and advice to other mothers too. And I've also made friends in the process. I borrowed an LLL book from one of the meetings called Sweet Sleep, and as a result bed shared with my baby for the first six months, which has been the single best decision I've made differently than I'd done with my son, who slept in a moses basket then a cot. It's just wonderful and a perfect solution for breastfeeding during the night, as well as all the other benefits of reassurance and closeness. Now my daughter is seven months old I've adapted my son's old cot so she cosleeps with me. I've become a member of a LLL and intend on attending meetings indefinitely to give and receive support. I'm also much more open to breastfeeding my daughter way beyond two years than I had been before. All in all, LLL meetings and the Facebook community have been a huge rock for me and a very rewarding group to be a part of. - Tania, Kingston
I was looking to meet other breastfeeding mums. I have been really fortunate, in that I haven't had any difficulties breastfeeding (apart from sore nipples in the first week or two) and have in fact, really enjoyed breastfeeding my baby. As people around me stopped breastfeeding for various reasons, I felt the need to meet up with other breastfeeding mums and be reminded that it is the normal thing to do. It was great to get advice and support regarding introducing solid food and continuing breastfeeding. I also found it really nice to talk about a more natural approach to parenting - a more instinctive approach, rather than a strict routine based approach. I have joined up to LLL, as I think it is very important to support a charity with such a good cause and look forward to attending meetings and borrowing some of the fantastic books. - Kate, Richmond