Mama Advisory Board
When my first daughter was born, I didn’t really have very many other mothers to talk to.
Sure, I had plenty of girlfriends , but most of them hadn’t started having babies yet, and when nursing turned out to be tougher than my little girl and I expected, I didn’t have any buddies to call for advice and solace.
Instead, I turned to my hospital’s staff of lactation consultants, who were amazing and helped me through many a rough patch. While any mother who has a rocky time getting breastfeeding established should hook up with a good lactation specialist (these days, most decent hospitals have some on staff, and others can be found with a quick Web search), back then what I felt like I was missing the most was an understanding shoulder (or two) to cry on, a group of been-there-done-that gals who I could call at a moment’s notice for support, sympathy, advice and a good laugh.
What I needed was a Mama Advisory Board.
When I started writing Spilled Milk: Breastfeeding Adventures and Advice From Less-Than-Pefect Moms , I got the opportunity to talk to mamas around the country (and in my hometown) about their breastfeeding experiences, and slowly I started assembling my own personalized Mama Advisory Board. By the time I had my second daughter four years later, I had a huge roster of mamafriends to turn to. It made my life a lot easier.
Try setting up your own Mama Advisory Board. Make friends with other mothers—neighbors, playgroup attendees, even the groovy gal in front of you at the supermarket—reach out to them, ask them questions, go out for coffee talk and laugh— just try making friends like you did when you were a little girl.
Having a posse of mamas backing you up will make your life 100 percent better. There’s no doubt that we mamas need to stick together.
