Oregonian Article on my LLL group

Bringing La Leche closer to her home
Breastfeeding - Melissa Zollner, who's expecting her second child, helps in Gresham
Thursday, September 27, 2007
MELODY FINNEMORE Special to The Oregonian
The birth of Cyndi Smith's second daughter last May brought back a familiar dilemma for the Gresham mother of two. She wanted to breastfeed, but she had experienced pain that had forced her to pump her breast milk and bottle-feed her older daughter.
This time around, Smith turned to Melissa Zollner for guidance. Zollner is a volunteer leader with the La Leche League, an international not-for-profit organization that provides breastfeeding advice, educational resources and support for parents.
"Melissa asked me what my goals were, and she understood that I didn't want to have to pump to solve the problem," Smith said. "I just needed that extra assurance, and she came to my house rather than meeting me in a clinic where things are sort of thrown off anyway."
Smith also began attending monthly meetings of a La Leche group recently formed in Gresham. Zollner organized the group, which meets at 10 a.m. the third Monday of each month at Mountainview Christian Church, 1890 N.E. Cleveland Ave. The group is not affiliated with the church.
Zollner, who has a 2-year-old daughter and is pregnant with her second child, previously led a La Leche group for parents who live in North and Northeast Portland. She's lived in Gresham for about four years and wanted to form a group closer to home.
"I really felt like there was a need for support and encouragement for moms who breastfeed in east county. Since I live out here, it seemed a logical choice to start a group here," she said. "It's grown every month. The first month we had three mamas, the second month there were five, and last month there were six moms and a dad."
Zollner's mother was a lactation consultant and a La Leche League group leader, so Zollner attended her first La Leche meeting when she was just 2 weeks old.
"I was definitely raised in a breastfeeding culture, and I grew up with the understanding that breastfeeding is a natural thing," said Zollner, who also leads Portland meetings that provide support for mothers nursing toddlers and preschool-age children.
Zollner said the growing array of information about breastfeeding on the Internet and the increasing number of support groups is helping people learn about its benefits for both babies and mothers. According to the La Leche League, the benefits of breastfeeding range from boosting infants' immune systems to helping prevent breast and ovarian cancer among nursing women.
"I definitely think more moms are breastfeeding," Zollner said. "We have a very good breastfeeding initiation rate, especially in the Northwest, with more moms breastfeeding from birth."
Smith, who has attended the La Leche League of Gresham's meetings since the first one in June, said she appreciates the support network.
"It's just nice to talk to other moms and ask questions, especially since most of my friends live in Portland and I live in Gresham," she said. "It also gives me the chance to make friends closer to where I live."
For more information about the La Leche League of Gresham, call Zollner at 503-492-3168.