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The Lactation Circle for Adults. Chapter 1: A New Beginning.
Susanne had recently turned 51 and had made a major life change; following the death of her husband, she moved to another state and began a new job as a lactation consultant at her city’s health center. She had long been interested in lactation for various reasons—an interest that led her to pursue training and earn her certification as a lactation consultant. However, she spent several years not practicing, as she focused her time and energy on her children and her home. Now, with her children grown and having become a widow, her circumstances were different. Her first few days were spent assisting women in the postpartum ward of the same health center; as time went on and she was able to organize her schedule, she began to establish her own practice.
One of her first home visits to assist women struggling with breastfeeding was to Nicole’s house. Nicole, a 30-year-old first-time mother, was having trouble with her baby’s latch, compounded by partially obstructed milk ducts. Upon arrival, Susanne was quickly able to assess the situation: issues with positioning, signs of ductal obstruction causing some pain, and difficulty with the milk let-down reflex. She provided guidance on massage, improving posture, and nipple care to prevent cracking.
Nicole remarked to Susane: “Thank you so much for resolving these issues; breastfeeding was becoming problematic for me and was starting to feel like torture. Plus, I produce a lot of milk, and if I don’t express it, it can actually become painful.”
“Don’t worry, Nicole,” Susane replies. “Your situation is quite common—it happens often, especially with first-time mothers. Let’s stay in touch; I’ll leave you my phone number in case you have any other questions or an emergency.” They say their goodbyes.
About 6 days later, Susane receives a call from Nicole—not an emergency, though: “Hi Susane, it’s Nicole. I’ve been thinking about making a proposal for a project. I’m a psychologist, and lately—after becoming a mother myself and receiving your support—I’ve realized how important it is to have both practical and emotional guidance during the breastfeeding process to make it a more positive experience. Would you like to meet up so I can explain it to you?” “Sure, Nicole! Come by my office at the health center whenever you can, and we’ll talk about it.”
The next day, Nicole arrives at the office and presents her proposal:
Susane, I’ve noticed how great you are at providing breastfeeding support. I also know that the health center is looking to launch a support group for nursing mothers. I haven’t mentioned this before, but I’m a psychologist, and I’d love to contribute my expertise to complement the work you’re already doing. — That’s fantastic, Nicole! We really needed someone like you to get this off the ground—a psychologist, and even better, one who is currently breastfeeding and can truly relate to the mothers. If it works for you, we can start the group next week. I’ll begin promoting it on the clinic’s social media channels tomorrow so that anyone interested can find out about it. — Great, Susane! So, we’re aiming for next Wednesday at 7:00 PM? That’s perfect—the clinic will be closed by then, so we can use the large room for our meetings without any interruptions. — How about we structure it as a workshop combined with a group therapy circle? — Wonderful! I’m so glad we’re on the same page! The “Breastfeeding Circle”—that’s what I’ve named the project—kicks off next week. — Hahaha, great name, Nicole! See you next week to get things started.
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