La Leche League is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed.
Membership in La Leche League International is $36 for one year. Membership fees help to support your local Group and the international organization. The benefits of membership include a one-year subscription to NEW BEGINNINGS magazine and a discount on items purchased from LLLI.
Algonquin/Crystal Lake AM Group
Snowed in? Children have the sniffles? Just feel like talking but not leaving the house? Try an Online LLL Meeting or ChatAll women who have an interest in breastfeeding are invited to attend LLL meetings. All mothers and their children are accepted with open arms at meetings. Each mother is encouraged to take from La Leche League philosophy what seems sensible and helpful to her and leave the rest.
Series Meetings * Telephone Help * Meeting Schedule *
Membership * Fundraising/Books for Sale * World Walk For Breastfeeding *Meeting Information
Series Meetings
In order to better serve our community but at the same time put our families first, we offer a variety of meetings. No two series are exactly alike, since we are all growing in our understanding of child development, mothering and family life. As we share our knowledge of mothering through breastfeeding, we can all learn and support each other during this important time in the lives of our families. Regardless of the meeting topic, we will try to answer all of your questions.
The ideal time to begin attending is during pregnancy, because the information received in advance may prove vital to a mother when her baby arrives. Pregnant women may find it helpful to attend a series of four monthly meetings before the baby is due and obtain a copy of La Leche League International's book, THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING. These books are available at our meetings. Members receive a 10% discount.
Because our meetings are attended by pregnant women and newborns, we ask that you avoid bringing contagiously ill children to meetings. If illness prevents you from attending, you can still receive support and information by calling a Leader on the phone.
The 2004 Meeting Schedule will be posted soon! Please check back for informaion, as our location and meeting day may change in the coming year. Please email Carla if you would like to be added to our email list. We will send information about the coming year's events, meeting reminders and other items of interest to breastfeeding families.
2005 Meeting Schedule
***Note New Day and Location in 2005! ***
1st Tuesdays, 10AM
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church,932 McHenry Ave
(Just South of Barlina Rd., Just North of Randall)
Use the Preschool Entrance. Meetings are held in Fellowship Hall.
There are a series of four meetings that repeat throughout the year, however, the topics are covered by using various activities and there is always time to address questions outside of the series topic as well.
Our group also offers enrichment meetings the third Wednesday of the month for mothers and children who have attended several meetings and would like to discuss topics other than breastfeeding. The location of these meetings can vary, so please contact a leader for details.
Series 1 - Avoid Cabin Fever! MONTH
TOPIC
January 5 Advantage Soup! Game and Prizes! February 2 Thank You! - Help with a Newborn March 2 Jeopardy! - Answers to Common Problems April 6 Nutrition 101! What’s In It? Series 2 - Fun In The Sun... MONTH
TOPIC
May 4 Breastfeeding’s Advantages June 1 Labor Choices and Breastfeeding Success July 6 Ask The Magic 8 Ball! August 3 The ABC’s of Nutrition for the Whole Family Series 3 - Harvest The Benefits! MONTH
TOPIC
September 7 An Umbrella of Protection October 5 Breastfeeding Olympics November 2 Risks and Rewards of Motherhood and Breastfeeding December The Twelve Days of Starting Solids If this meeting time does not work well for your family, please check with other groups in the McHenry County area.
The following table lists area Groups, meetings times and location, and Leaders who are available for telephone help. Please phone a Leader for meeting topics or to confirm meeting dates, locations and times. Highlighted Groups have their own Web pages.
Group
Meeting Information
Leaders
LLL of McHenry County Third Monday at 7:00 p.m.
Gina815-385-6708
Harvard Call for Location & Time
Sue815 943-1506
Wauconda Third Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
Linda 847-526-5942
Telephone Help
Some questions just can't wait! If you have questions between
meetings or need a friendly ear, these Leaders are experienced
breastfeeding mothers accredited by La Leche League International to give
information, support and important encouragement to mothers who
desire to breastfeed their babies. Give one a call! (Underlined Leaders are also avaialable by email, however, a phone call ensures a timely response)
Carla 815-337-0353
Kathy 815-459-5821
Membership
LLL helps mothers by sharing information and by giving
mother-to-mother support. As you turn to us for encouragement, we
turn to you for your help. Your support is needed in continuing
LLL services to mothers who need us. Would you like to become a
member or send us a donation? We are a nonprofit organization.
Your $36 annual membership includes:
- A bimonthly subscription to NEW BEGINNINGS magazine
- 10% Discount on all LLL purchases
- Access to the group's lending library
- Discounted conference registration
- Access to Enrichment Meetings
- Participation in Special Events
For Sale
Our La Leche League Group has the following items for sale. Proceeds are used to update the lending library and pay for additional training and seminars to keep our Leaders up to date and informed about breastfeeding.
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The Over the Shoulder Baby Holder is a wonderful tool for nursing moms. We have a variety of fabrics to choose from. Many moms in our group are veteran babywearers. We'll be happy to demonstrate how it works and put you on the road to successful babywearing. Slings are usually on hand for purchase at meetings or contact Carla 815-337-0353. Slings range from $35.00 - $50.00. |  |
| Click here to read tips from LLLI on discreet nursing. | Click here to read more about the benefits of Babywearing. |
Timber Creek Farms Organic Produce and Grocery
Have a variety of organic fruits, vegetables and grocerys delivered right to your home! Contact Timber Creek at 630-553-1119 for details. When you sign up for your delivery, be sure to tell them at that you heard about them from the Algonquin/Crystal Lake La Leche League. They will donate a percentage of your order to our group. Please be patient as this is a small family run company.
Books!
La Leche League International offers a variety of books at a discount to LLL members. Our group also keeps books on hand and the profits from the sale go to benefit our group and you can save shipping charges! If you are considering buying any of the following books, or see something you'd like in the La Leche League Cataloge , please contact Carla 815-337-0353.
We also have these books available and many others available in our lending library.
 | THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Edition | $16.95/15.25 |
New in this edition:
In the nearly half century since La Leche League was founded, science has learned a great deal about human milk and its role in babies’ growth and development. Research has shown that human milk is far more than good food. It is a living fluid that protects babies from disease and actively contributes to the development of every system in baby’s body. Human infants are relatively immature at birth, and feeding at mother’s breast is nature’s way of bridging the developmental gap between growing in the protective environment of the womb and being able to survive out in the world. Breastfeeding plays a critical role in nature’s plan for ensuring that human babies survive and grow. Feeding at mother’s breast nourishes babies and provides the raw materials they need in order to develop in the way that nature intended. As science learns more about the complex ingredients in human milk and the ways in which mother’s body is attuned to the needs of her breastfeeding infant, it becomes very clear that artificial feeding "formula feeding" is a substantial departure from nature’s plan. While babies fed infant formula do grow and develop adequately, manufactured infant formula does not promote optimal growth and development as does the milk designed by nature for human babies. This chapter describes the many ways in which human milk and the whole process of breastfeeding play key roles in babies’ development and well-being. Common sense has long dictated that milk made by mother herself is superior to manufactured substitutes, and a growing collection of scientific evidence fully supports this conclusion. Breastfeeding is not just an "extra" that you may or may not choose to give your baby. It is more than a few added vitamins or health-boosting antibodies. Human milk is the key to good health and development for human infants. Breastfeeding is every baby’s birthright. After all, babies are born to breastfeed! | ||
 | WHOLE FOODS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Roberta Johnson. Second Edition. | $16.95/15.25 |
| Our classic LLL cookbook has been given an all new look, with larger pages, and a complete nutritional analysis for each recipe. It contains more than 900 kitchen-tested recipes contributed by mothers all over the world. This book is filled with time-saving make-ahead meals, ideas for using leftovers, special diet and allergy recipes, and more! Recipes include meat and meatless main dishes, ethnic foods, whole grain breads, desserts, snacks, and sandwiches. Plastic-comb bound, hardcover, 364 pages. | ||
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Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, Revised Edition by Norma Jane Bumgarner Foreword by Martha Sears and Mary K. White | $12.95/11.65 |
| How long are you going to nurse that baby? Six months? Eight months? A year? What if you celebrate your baby's first birthday and your little one is still nursing, with no sign of letting up any time soon? Many a modern mother has felt as though she has embarked on uncharted waters as she continues to breastfeed a child into toddlerhood. The child's need to nurse is clear-but mother has lots of questions. In Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, author Norma Jane Bumgarner puts the experience of nursing an older baby or child in perspective, within the context of the entire mother-child relationship. Softcover | ||
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Whole Foods for Babies and Toddlers by Margaret Kenda | $15.95/14.35 |
Featuring topics such as:
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2005 World Walk for Breastfeeding
Coming in September 2005! World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1 through August 7 by La Leche League International and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. It is part of an ongoing campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of breastfeeding.Walks are held worldwide from approximately May 15 until September 15. The purpose of the Walk is not only to call attention to the importance of breastfeeding, but to raise money so that the important work of educating and supporting mothers and babies can continue.
La Leche League of Algonquin/Crystal Lake usually holds a symbolic walk and picnic and conducts a raffle and awards prizes for the highest donation earners. We are especially grateful to the many businesses who donate prizes for the awards and raffle.
To be involved in this year's walk, please contact Carla 815-337-0353 for further information.