How do we form a new LLL today? This is sickening. I can’t imagine what the founder who resigned is feeling at 90 years old but my heart breaks imagining having done this work and seeing this happen at the end. I want her to know it’s not the end of the road and the torch will be carried on elsewhere.
I love that this is your response Meg. I have been thinking about this for quite awhile and now I think I’m fired up enough to try something, because that is absolutely the way forward. We have to shift into a mindset of creation when faced with such insulting, unfortunate realities. And in that shift we can fully align ourselves with what we know to be true, put it out there and see who responds, and know that those are the people who are meant to be there alongside us. Really considering making a plan here.
I have been involved! It is more of a lactation mother-baby advocacy group than a lactation support group in the was LLL is though. Several of the members do excellent lactation support work though!
Emily, thank you for writing about this. Many of us in the BF community are in shambles over what LLL has done. Once again we have men or wannabe "woman" butting their noses in to woman's only spaces in an attempt to "fix" what isn't broken! Is sick and disheartening. Your words speak for all of us!
Wow. This fills me with so much anger and sadness for real mothers everywhere. I was so happy with the support I received from LLL after the difficult birth and lactation issues of my firstborn, I can’t believe they’ve degraded like this. (Although I can given the current political climate). Her letter was so very normal and if a letter like hers triggers ANYONE they need some SERIOUS mental health intervention! What a joke women have become to the messed up ideology driven world we live in. I pray for a return to sanity…..hopefully sooner rather than later!
I feel the same, as someone who also received quality support from LLL meetings in the past. I truly think a breakout organization needs to happen. And yes, the trigger warning was absolutely laughable and you are right—if it was actually necessary for anyone, they need some serious time in the real world.
Your takeaway at the end about how this institution is sacrificing real, physical women at the altar of their own virtue-signaling is so true. Sometimes I wonder how much this behavior would decrease if they didn’t have social media accounts and websites on which to parade their so-called tolerance.
That’s a great point Amelia. Social media certainly has a way of tainting things and inducing pressure to conform to the ridiculous demands of whatever is politically correct at the current moment.
Wow. I mean, we are just getting so far away from facts. How could anyone think that milk produced by artificially induced lactation is… milk?? This is what has really made me question this whole movement, because to me, any feeling human who cares for their baby, regardless of their gender expression, would never want to subject their child to this
Thank you for writing this, Emily. It is spot on and you are completely right about the LLLI Board being dominated by ideologues, at least one stood for the Board openly saying as much. Although there are still some women fighting very hard from the inside, sadly they are a minority. I was a Leader for over 15 years, but had my accreditation taken away (along with some others) for trying to stop this insanity in LLLGB. The only hold that LLLI had over us was our accreditation since LLLGB is an independent charity in the UK with elected trustees. A group of us tried very hard, but after a year as trustees we were not re-elected following a concerted campaign of misinformation, bullying and attempts to silence us. Now I'm no longer either a Leader or a trustee, I can speak without restraint now and am doing so (I'm @brupe on Twitter/X)
Thank you Ruth for sharing all of this! Thank you for your attempt at making things right and your integrity, as well as for all of those years of service to women and babies. I followed you on twitter but rarely ever am on that platform, I will keep an eye out though! Thank you for reading.
This is equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating. I can’t believe the complete and total disrespect that the current LLL leadership showed the actual founder of the organization. Reading ‘The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding’ made me feel so grounded and uniquely equipped to feed my baby as a first time mom. Seeing that response letter and learning that the word ‘womanly’ is being removed from the title makes my head spin. It’s as though we’re living in some alternate version of reality. We really do need to form a new LLL.
I read their book when I had my first as well and it had the same effect. The value of the organization is what makes this all so awful to witness. So many women online are defending it as well, and I just keep asking why? Why is this sick version of “progress” anything to celebrate?
Thank you Haley. Since I have been pregnant my body seems to feel the need to wake up every night around 1 AM and then not fall back asleep for hours so I am using my pregnancy insomnia for internet sleuthing 😂
I'm new to Substack and l grateful to have stumbled upon your post. As someone currently nursing a 2-year-old, these post deeply touched me. The nursing journey is incredibly intimate - from the emotional bonds formed to the unspoken physical connection and all the transitions in between. It's a unique experience that often only other nursing mothers truly understand, even more so than our spouses.
It’s heartbreaking to hear this from a breastfeeding support group. I know what it’s like to need that support as I often speak with friends of mine who are also nursing who feel more safe with other mothers in the same flow as they go through challenges & victories together.
Thank you for creating this post for these important topics. I'll be following along and supporting you if you decide to create / build a new support group! I know that many mothers can benefit from this!!!
Hello! Thank for reading and for being here! Everything you say in your first paragraph epitomizes why LLL was so special- it is the mother to mother model. By leaving “experts” and authorities out of the mix, women are able to be more vulnerable and honest and therefore get really meaningful, valuable feedback and support from other women who know best from experience. I’m so glad you and your friends have this in one another!
What chemicals and hormones do men have to take in order to produce milk, and how does that impact the health of the baby? The mothers I know (I am not a mother, sadly) are so cautious about everything they put in their bodies because they are so protective of their babies. They put their babies first while a male seems to be putting his own desire to appear to be a mother ahead of the health of the baby; they lack the instinct to put their child first. I know your article is about this organization, but this is something I've been pondering about.
I think it is important to not get sidetracked with the "wrong" questions. I really don't care how good or not some man's milk is. If he is "breastfeeding" where is the baby's mother? The first question needs to be "how does this benefit and support normal infant development?" Oh, so no need to test then! https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/some-things-are-not-up-for-debate
They typically take Domeperidone (some women also take this to up their milk production but I can impact heart function in babies if they have undiagnosed heart conditions) to induce milk production while also taking Spirolactone to suppress their testosterone. They also are typically taking estradiol (fake estrogen) and progesterone to mimic the natural state of a woman’s postpartum body.
This is the case report that LLL literally links to on their website with a sample protocol for a male wishing to induce lactation:
There is limited research on spirolactone in breastfeeding, and it can cause high postassium which is potentially dangerous. When looking up what to look for while taking this while breastfeeding, it states to watch for a baby being overly sleepy or poor feeding. Sounds so safe huh?
How do we form a new LLL today? This is sickening. I can’t imagine what the founder who resigned is feeling at 90 years old but my heart breaks imagining having done this work and seeing this happen at the end. I want her to know it’s not the end of the road and the torch will be carried on elsewhere.
I love that this is your response Meg. I have been thinking about this for quite awhile and now I think I’m fired up enough to try something, because that is absolutely the way forward. We have to shift into a mindset of creation when faced with such insulting, unfortunate realities. And in that shift we can fully align ourselves with what we know to be true, put it out there and see who responds, and know that those are the people who are meant to be there alongside us. Really considering making a plan here.
Please do. Nothing like the present to create something amazing for mothers whilst LLL reduces itself to ruin.
I'm in! This is all I could think about reading this. How do we continue her legacy? Start a new one.
Yes Emily! It feels like there is no other option at this point.
There is! A new group called @Radical Moms Union has emerged in the vacuum 💗
I have been involved! It is more of a lactation mother-baby advocacy group than a lactation support group in the was LLL is though. Several of the members do excellent lactation support work though!
Emily, thank you for writing about this. Many of us in the BF community are in shambles over what LLL has done. Once again we have men or wannabe "woman" butting their noses in to woman's only spaces in an attempt to "fix" what isn't broken! Is sick and disheartening. Your words speak for all of us!
Thank you for reading and for your kind words! I just cannot be quiet when there is clearly such an insidious force at place.
Nursing the baby while I read this. Very on-theme.
Doing women’s work!
Hah, me too!
☺️ it’s a joy
All you write here is true.
Let's put something at the forefront, though: A man "chestfeeding" a baby is ABUSING that baby.
As bad as it is to attack women and the natural art and gift of breastfeeding, the worst thing in all this is that it's CHILD ABUSE.
Transgender is a mental illness that relates to a sexual fetish. In what universe do we stand by while an INFANT is made part of that depravity?
I very much agree Leila! I have written about that here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/theworkofwomen/p/maternal-vampirism?r=1ljam1&utm_medium=ios
It breaks my heart. A baby being fed as if it’s in a lab, by a perverted man who is getting off on it.
Wow. This fills me with so much anger and sadness for real mothers everywhere. I was so happy with the support I received from LLL after the difficult birth and lactation issues of my firstborn, I can’t believe they’ve degraded like this. (Although I can given the current political climate). Her letter was so very normal and if a letter like hers triggers ANYONE they need some SERIOUS mental health intervention! What a joke women have become to the messed up ideology driven world we live in. I pray for a return to sanity…..hopefully sooner rather than later!
I feel the same, as someone who also received quality support from LLL meetings in the past. I truly think a breakout organization needs to happen. And yes, the trigger warning was absolutely laughable and you are right—if it was actually necessary for anyone, they need some serious time in the real world.
Your takeaway at the end about how this institution is sacrificing real, physical women at the altar of their own virtue-signaling is so true. Sometimes I wonder how much this behavior would decrease if they didn’t have social media accounts and websites on which to parade their so-called tolerance.
That’s a great point Amelia. Social media certainly has a way of tainting things and inducing pressure to conform to the ridiculous demands of whatever is politically correct at the current moment.
Wow. I mean, we are just getting so far away from facts. How could anyone think that milk produced by artificially induced lactation is… milk?? This is what has really made me question this whole movement, because to me, any feeling human who cares for their baby, regardless of their gender expression, would never want to subject their child to this
Yes the men with desires to do this absolutely are not thinking about the good of the child (or the mother for that matter!).
Too bad this LLL couldn't be shut down. This is horrible news. It's my thoughts exactly that another LLL be created for real women.
I wholeheartedly agree!
Thank you for writing this, Emily. It is spot on and you are completely right about the LLLI Board being dominated by ideologues, at least one stood for the Board openly saying as much. Although there are still some women fighting very hard from the inside, sadly they are a minority. I was a Leader for over 15 years, but had my accreditation taken away (along with some others) for trying to stop this insanity in LLLGB. The only hold that LLLI had over us was our accreditation since LLLGB is an independent charity in the UK with elected trustees. A group of us tried very hard, but after a year as trustees we were not re-elected following a concerted campaign of misinformation, bullying and attempts to silence us. Now I'm no longer either a Leader or a trustee, I can speak without restraint now and am doing so (I'm @brupe on Twitter/X)
Thank you Ruth for sharing all of this! Thank you for your attempt at making things right and your integrity, as well as for all of those years of service to women and babies. I followed you on twitter but rarely ever am on that platform, I will keep an eye out though! Thank you for reading.
This is equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating. I can’t believe the complete and total disrespect that the current LLL leadership showed the actual founder of the organization. Reading ‘The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding’ made me feel so grounded and uniquely equipped to feed my baby as a first time mom. Seeing that response letter and learning that the word ‘womanly’ is being removed from the title makes my head spin. It’s as though we’re living in some alternate version of reality. We really do need to form a new LLL.
Thank you for writing this!
I read their book when I had my first as well and it had the same effect. The value of the organization is what makes this all so awful to witness. So many women online are defending it as well, and I just keep asking why? Why is this sick version of “progress” anything to celebrate?
What in the actual heck. Thanks for doing the work to write this.
Thank you Haley. Since I have been pregnant my body seems to feel the need to wake up every night around 1 AM and then not fall back asleep for hours so I am using my pregnancy insomnia for internet sleuthing 😂
Hi Emily,
I'm new to Substack and l grateful to have stumbled upon your post. As someone currently nursing a 2-year-old, these post deeply touched me. The nursing journey is incredibly intimate - from the emotional bonds formed to the unspoken physical connection and all the transitions in between. It's a unique experience that often only other nursing mothers truly understand, even more so than our spouses.
It’s heartbreaking to hear this from a breastfeeding support group. I know what it’s like to need that support as I often speak with friends of mine who are also nursing who feel more safe with other mothers in the same flow as they go through challenges & victories together.
Thank you for creating this post for these important topics. I'll be following along and supporting you if you decide to create / build a new support group! I know that many mothers can benefit from this!!!
With much love and blessings your way! 🫶🏽💪🏽
Hello! Thank for reading and for being here! Everything you say in your first paragraph epitomizes why LLL was so special- it is the mother to mother model. By leaving “experts” and authorities out of the mix, women are able to be more vulnerable and honest and therefore get really meaningful, valuable feedback and support from other women who know best from experience. I’m so glad you and your friends have this in one another!
This is gorgeous and powerfully written. THANK YOU 🙏
Thank you so much Sarah ♥️
Great piece! Thank you for writing
Thank you for reading !
A sobering but important read. Thanks for laying this story out so clearly Emily.
Thank you Becca!
What chemicals and hormones do men have to take in order to produce milk, and how does that impact the health of the baby? The mothers I know (I am not a mother, sadly) are so cautious about everything they put in their bodies because they are so protective of their babies. They put their babies first while a male seems to be putting his own desire to appear to be a mother ahead of the health of the baby; they lack the instinct to put their child first. I know your article is about this organization, but this is something I've been pondering about.
I think it is important to not get sidetracked with the "wrong" questions. I really don't care how good or not some man's milk is. If he is "breastfeeding" where is the baby's mother? The first question needs to be "how does this benefit and support normal infant development?" Oh, so no need to test then! https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/some-things-are-not-up-for-debate
Yes! This is the real answer. This, because not a single penny should be spent on researching this. Not a single second of a researcher’s time.
They typically take Domeperidone (some women also take this to up their milk production but I can impact heart function in babies if they have undiagnosed heart conditions) to induce milk production while also taking Spirolactone to suppress their testosterone. They also are typically taking estradiol (fake estrogen) and progesterone to mimic the natural state of a woman’s postpartum body.
This is the case report that LLL literally links to on their website with a sample protocol for a male wishing to induce lactation:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5779241/
There is limited research on spirolactone in breastfeeding, and it can cause high postassium which is potentially dangerous. When looking up what to look for while taking this while breastfeeding, it states to watch for a baby being overly sleepy or poor feeding. Sounds so safe huh?
sounds evil and self-aggrandizing!