The dozen or so new moms sitting on a blanket at the East End Public Library looked like any group of friends getting together for a regular play date.
They chat about teething and fevers, they swap baby-crying-in-the-middle-of-the-night stories, they keep eyes on the older siblings, some of whom want to escape the room and wander through the library.
And they breastfeed easily and comfortably when the need arises.
This is how it should be everywhere, they agree. Breastfeeding – as natural as Mother Earth -- is regaining popularity with new moms and for good reason. The World Health Organization has declared breastfeeding exclusively for six months as the gold standard, giving a child the best start in life.
But not everyone is comfortable with it in public places. Breastfeeding Cafes, held at various locations in the city, provide a safe and comfortable place where trained volunteers provide peer support.
Like breastfeeding itself, the cafes are also growing in popularity.
“Breastfeeding is a complex issue,” said Nicole Barrette, coordinator of the Breastfeeding Café program offered through the Guelph Community Health Centre. “It’s the most natural thing but it’s not the easiest thing. And it’s not always accepted in public places. That’s why we need to offer support.
“Breastfeeding is not mathematical. There’s no one right way. What we want to do here is normalize it. Because any amount of human milk is good for the baby.”
“We don’t live in a breastfeeding-friendly society,” agreed Wendy Lahey, a public health nurse and leader of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s breastfeeding clinics.
The cafes offer one-on-one or group support and can often make the difference between giving up or continuing to breastfeed through challenging times.
