October News

One of our proudest achievements of this past year has been the establishment of our breastfeeding support group. This group has been tremendously successful in Macassar. It runs every Friday between 10 and 12 and has grown enormously since its inception in June 2011. To be entirely honest, the first few weeks were quite disheartening since, more often than not, I waited in the library for the 2 hours with not one woman arriving. But word of mouth has proved tremendously successful and within just a few short months, we now weekly have 12 to 15 women and their babies attending. This past Friday was our record with 18 moms there!

Let me tell you about some of our regulars:

Michelle and baby Raquel. Raquel is now 2 months old and Michelle has been attending the group for about 6 weeks. Raquel is the most gorgeous little girl! Michelle has two older daughters, one a teenager and a 9-year old. She is a wonderful mother, so full of love for her daughters and shares her experience and knowledge willingly and kindly with the younger moms. This is, after all, the purpose of a support group: not for the facilitator to do a lecture, but rather for the moms to share and relate their own experiences. As facilitator I merely guide the conversation, I advise and correct, but for the most part it’s a two-way conversation.

Jolene and baby Jerome. Jerome is a 6-month-old boy, already wanting to move around. Jolene is 17 and Jerome is her first child. Jerome’s father is not on the scene anymore. According to Jolene, he is a tik addict and does not support his child. Jolene wants nothing to do with him, because since her pregnancy she has stopped doing drugs and has made a break from her old life. She is supported by her parents. I so admire this young, courageous girl.

Geraldine is 24 years old, married and pregnant with her first child, expected in December. Huge excitement and anticipation accompanies this pregnancy!

Jo-Anne is 43 and has 5 children, the eldest of which has 2 kids of her own! Jo-Anne is humble, kind, shy and friendly. She always has a gentle word for the younger moms. Her baby is now a month old and she will be sterilised at the 6-week check-up. She is so enjoying her last baby!

These are just a few women I spend my Friday mornings with. You can see why I totally love it. If you love women and mothers, this is very much the right environment to thrive in. What a privilege to teach and support these women and how much I learn in return!