Welcome to the Special 60th Anniversary Issue of Expressions newsletter!

Spring 2016

Expressions SD

Front: Lil Kavanaugh (F) Back: Nonette Hanko, Ruth Duterte (Laurie's daughter), Laurie Vavuris,

Ruth Buneman, Verne Rice

NMC’s 60th Anniversary was a very memorable day for all of us who attended.

We were honored to have our three founders, Laurie Vavuris, Nonette Hanko, and Lil Kavanaugh with us to celebrate the wonderful organization they began 60 years ago!

60th Anniversary

Edition

NMC's 60th Anniversary Celebration

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, Poplar Creek Grill and Golf Course By Lori McBride, Executive Board Chair

I apologize for this newsletter coming out so long after our event. The holidays and then life prevented me from having the time

needed to devote to this huge endeavor. Gathering all the information and putting it together took months. I hope you enjoy reading about this milestone event.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board meets quarterly at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose and oversees the function of the S.F. Bay Area and Santa Cruz Chapters.

Planning this event took much time and energy. The Executive Board spent a year and a half working on organizing this milestone! We had long "to do" lists. Just the basics of finding a venue, tracking down former members (which we were doing up until the week before the event), getting sponsors, creating invitations, requesting congratulatory letters, etc., took a lot of time.

From left: Peggy Ripley, Audrey Kalman, Lori McBride, Lisa Piediscalzi

Audrey Kalman, Secretary, entered all former members into Wild Apricot (our cloud-based membership system), posted the invitation, and took care of all the registration details. Peggy Ripley (formerly Burgi), Treasurer, handled finances.

Lisa Piediscalzi: Santa Cruz Chapter Coordinator and Executive Board Chapter Liaison, helped with many details. She created a Google doc with event details, a

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 2

time line, and kept us focused. She would be a wonderful Executive Board Chair!

We also appreciate the efforts of:

Jennifer Hyrkin, who created the beautiful centerpieces

Angie Burger, Halina Vaughan, and Laida Duenas-Abayas who handled the raffle

Talya Brass who works at Cake Coquette and helped create the delicious breast cupcakes

Gretchen Kindberg, for the CE certificates, member recognition certificates, and name tags.

Janet Hart who helped solicit congratulatory letters

Sandi Tordoff for the balloons and helping with check in

Carol Gillman who helped with check in and book sales

Virginia Kaufman who helped with book sales

Julianna Rees for merging years of membership spread sheets

Sandi Tordoff and Carol Gillman

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS AND DONORS

$2,500 Breastfeeding Hero Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford $1,000 Breastfeeding Champions Dominican Hospital Dignity Health Medical Group-Dominican Kaiser Permanente Mills-Peninsula Health Services Palo Alto Medical Foundation $500 Breastfeeding Advocates Medela Healthy Horizons Breastfeeding Centers Sequoia Hospital Donors: Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Bay Area Breastfeeding, Bird in the Nest, Birder's Garden, Blossom, Day One, EarthBaby, Kaiser Permanente, Lori McBride, Peacebank Yoga, Rodan and Fields, Stork and Sproud, Testarossa Winery, The Munchery, Tiny Tots, Village Fitness, Marie Violet

New Full Members/ Counseling Milestones As part of our strategic plan, we set Member

Recognition as a best practice. Every fall

when we hold our Annual Meeting we

recognize new Full Members—those who

completed orientation training and fulfilled

the requirements within one year to become

a counselor. The requirements are 21 hours

of training, taking the exam, reading books,

attending a NMC breastfeeding class,

shadowing with an IBCLC or doing a home

visit with a Full Member, and working closely

with her advisor in counseling at least two

moms.

We also honor members who have reached

counseling milestones or continued service.

S.F. BAY AREA CHAPTER NEW FULL MEMBERS:

Mary Janowitz (IBCLC at St. Luke's; first to

go through our new training pathway)

Halina Vaughan

SANTA CRUZ CHAPTER NEW FULL MEMBERS:

Leila Melborne, Becca Scheilbaur, Nora

Yerena, Stephanie Culligan, Lisa Pallanch,

Katie Williams

S.F. BAY AREA COUNSELING MILESTONES

5 years Rotem Pearlson

Rotem has 3 children: Adi 18, Karni 15, and

Ilai, 12.

When Rotem became a postpartum doula 6

years ago, she wanted to know more about

breastfeeding. A fellow doula recommended

NMC. She teaches NMC breastfeeding

classes and a couple of years ago she taught

a class at the school- age mothers program in

Redwood City. She was hired by the district

to teach these moms about breastfeeding

and baby care. Rotem also teaches baby care

classes at PAMF.

15 years Audrey Kalman

Audrey has 2 sons: Harrison, 18, and Lowell,

15.

Audrey saw a "Want to give back to the

community?" flyer at Little Wonders

Preschool and thought "Sure, I'd like to do

that" so she called the number. She was

pregnant with her second son, Lowell. After

joining NMC Audrey became a birth doula.

She has held several NMC Board roles.

Audrey developed the new Orientation

curriculum we have used the past few years.

When she finished her role as Orientation

Chair in 2015, she took over as Membership

Chair and implemented the Wild Apricot

cloud based system we now use. Audrey has

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 3

been a referral line counselor for many years,

was a breastfeeding instructor, and

conducted several Speaker Trainings.

Besides chapter roles, she has served on the

Executive Board as Secretary for several

years.

Audrey’s passion is fiction writing, and she

published a novel! She has another under

contract with a publisher and yet another in

the works. She also still works as a marketing

consultant. She jokes that she doesn't

change careers, she just accumulates them!

We are so blessed to have Audrey's

continued passion and commitment to NMC

in addition to all the other things she's doing.

20 years Peggy Ripley (formerly Burgi)

Peggy has a daughter, Madeline, 22, and 2

sons: Max 20, and Elliott, 17.

Peggy was very pregnant with her middle

child, Max, when she went through Santa

Clara Chapter’s NMC training in Summer,

1995 She had found out about NMC through

the Tiny Tots newsletter. Peggy had trouble

nursing Madeline, but persevered and nursed

her for over 2 years.. Peggy wanted to help

other moms avoid the problems she had (the

reason many of us joined). Right after

joining, Peggy became Treasurer for her

chapter and soon after became Treasurer for

the National (now Executive) Board, which

she’s done for over 15 years.

When NMC no longer had the monopoly on

breast pumps due to availability through

lactation centers and NMC’s rental business

was declining, Peggy realized there were lots

of pumps sitting idle while NMC was paying

rental fees to Medela. While nursing Elliott,

she went through box after box of records,

painstakingly charting the where-abouts of

dozens of pumps. She then helped negotiate

with Medela to settle the account—a huge

project. Since then, we’ve purchased our own

pumps and can offer low cost or free rentals

to families in need without having to deal

with Medela.

Peggy has homeschooled her children since

nursery school. Her oldest two are now

attending Santa Rosa Junior College. They

have grown up listening to Peggy counsel

moms over the phone, and she says they

probably know enough about breastfeeding

to answer most of the questions themselves!

SANTA CRUZ COUNSELING MILESTONES

5 years Sabine Omvik

Sabine has 2 college-aged children. She

works as a birth and post-partum doula in the

greater Bay Area.

5 years Christina Brown (unable to attend)

Christina has two young children. She is an

RN and IBCLC.

CONTINUING SERVICE, S.F. BAY AREA CHAPTER

5 years Stephanie Dole

Stephanie has 2 children: 6 year old son,

Griffin, and 2 1/2 year old daughter, Bea.

Stephanie did a great job as Community

Relations Chair for several years. She created

many beautiful NMC exhibits. Stephanie is

an entomologist, but she has many other

talents. She is now doing fashion design and

can whip up beautiful outfits. She also is very

artistic and creative with decorating and

landscaping.

CONTINUING SERVICE, SANTA CRUZ CHAPTER

29 years Barbara Harker (unable to attend)

Barbara has a daughter, Alexandra, who is 31

and a son who is 28.

Alexandra was born in October, 1984, and

was a slow weight gain baby. It was hard for

Barbara to establish her supply. But she

persisted and nursed her for 20 months!

Barbara heard about NMC from her neighbor

and friend, Patsy Wilkes, who "twisted her

arm" to join in Winter of 1986! Patsy was one

of the founders of the Santa Cruz chapter

which was formed in 1985.

Barbara immediately joined her Chapter

board as Membership Chair. She also served

on the National Board holding many

positions. In a NMC newsletter Barbara

shared “Being involved with NMC has been

really fulfilling It's filled a space in my life and

given me satisfaction from helping people.”

Barbara has served as Treasurer for Santa

Cruz Chapter for decades! Barbara has two

jobs—working at Stone Soup Magazine and

at Santa Cruz Montessori as an office

assistant. We are all very grateful for

Barbara's continued dedication to NMC.

5-year Counseling Milestones: Rotem Pearlson,

Stephanie Dole, Sabine Omvik

60 Years of NMC

How it Began, What has Changed, What's the Same by Lori McBride

During the 60th celebration, I had ten

minutes to share 60 years of NMC history! I

went through all the files from NMC's

storage unit so that I could learn as much as

possible and find interesting facts to share.

What a huge endeavor! It was fascinating for

me to learn more about NMC’s history. I

joined in 1987, so I have been a member for

almost half its existence! There were so

many items and documents I wanted to

share. The historical display tables were

crammed!

The Beginning

Rennie Wilsnak Rennie Wilsnak, who passed away in 2001,

was the driving force behind the formation of

NMC. Mabel Fitzhugh taught a prenatal

exercise class held through the Palo Alto Rec.

Dept. at the Stern Community Center in Palo

Alto. Prenatal exercise class included

discussion about childbirth and parenting.

Rennie took over as instructor. She discussed

breastfeeding and had nursing moms come

to her class to demonstrate breastfeeding. At

this time formula was the norm. Most of the

women had never known or seen a

breastfeeding mom. Doctors knew little

about breastfeeding.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 4

According to Nancy Kautz, an early NMC

member, class attendees "worshipped the

feet of an Englishman, Dr. Grantly Dick Read,

who wrote Childbirth Without Fear". Their

handbook for Rennie's class was Prepartion

for Childbirth by Mabel Fitzhugh. They also

read the Pet Milk booklet, A Guide for

Prenatal Care, which encouraged

breastfeeding. Baby and Child Care by

Benjamin Spock was their bible! Not only

were they interested in natural childbirth and

breastfeeding, but they wanted to break

down the legal restrictions that kept fathers

out of the delivery room and kept mothers in

the hospital way too long after the baby's

birth. They advocated "rooming-in" for

mother and baby and going home after one

day. These women were pioneers of their

time!

Rennie suggested the class members start a

mothers' club, and one was formed in 1952.

There were 30-40 moms in the club—some

nursed and some didn't. These women

formed a supportive network, just like

today’s clubs.

Word spread to Palo Alto moms that they

could call her for breastfeeding support. It

got to the point where she needed help

taking calls. She had two pre-school children.

She needed to have dinner ready for her

husband when he came home from work and

couldn't be on the phone while dinner was

burning! In October, 1955, Rennie called

three graduates of her class who had

breastfed and also were Mothers’ Club

members: Laurie Vavuris, Nonette Hanko,

and Lil Kavanaugh for help and arranged a

meeting.

October, 1955: Nursing Mothers Anonymous (NMA) Formed; Became NMC Laurie, Nonette, and Lil agreed they would

help provide breastfeeding support to new

moms. They understood the challenges and

anxiety new moms felt. They would be "on

call" to help other moms by phone and do

home visits. Nonette suggested the name

"Nursing Mothers Anonymous" because they

would provide one-on-one support like

Alcoholics Anonymous/They had this name

for a few years. However, people thought

NMA was a joke including their husbands,

and they were teased about it. So they

changed the name to Nursing Mothers

Counsel because they counseled new moms.

Early members Nonette Hanko was a member from about

1955-1958.. She said the doctors depended

on the NMA moms to help their patients.

Nonette breastfed all of her 4 children, and

nursed the 4th one for 4 years! She did

counseling by phone and only did one home

visit. She returned to Rennie’s classes for

demonstrations.

Nonette Hanko

Laurie Vavuris and Ruth Duterte, daughter

Laurie Vavuris was a member from 1955-

1970. She breastfed all nine of her children.

You’ll hear more about Laurie throughout

this newsletter. When Laurie and Nonette

met in Rennie’s class, they recognized each

other because they had attended Burlingame

High School together! Laurie’s daughter,

Ruth, was just a few weeks old when Laurie

attended the first NMC meeting.

Lil Kavanugh was a member of NMC from

1955-1965. Lil was a nurse in a hospital in

New Jersey and did not like making formula.

The doctors would look in a formula book

and give the nurses information about how

to make it. Even though the hospital had

moms of ethnic groups who breastfed, the

doctors did not talk about it or approve of it.

Lil's first baby was born in 1952 at Stanford

Hospital where Lil later became a pediatric

nurse. Her doctor was all for natural

childbirth and breastfeeding. Lil had nine

children in twelve years and breastfed all of

them. Her family traveled a lot and she said

nursing was much easier than carrying a

bottle around! When NMA was formed, Lil

said the group met and wrote down what

was important to them. Rennie then put the

information together.

Rennie and Lil had nursing degrees which

created a solid foundation for NMC, but they

realized they needed to have materials for

their monthly meetings. There was not much

available when they began. They would

choose a topic to discuss such as the first

week after birth and put the information on

large index cards. Then it went onto sheets of

paper and they made copies. It then went

into paragraph form and became the first

NMC manual.

The NMC Training Manual Up until a few years ago, NMC published its

own training manual. Many who attended

the 60th anniversary were involved with

working on the original manual or future

revisions.

Ruth Rosenbaum, a member from 1964-

1979, gave me the original NMC Manual

with the corrections they made for the new

one. Ruth worked on the section on colic

because she experienced it. They "farmed

out" sections to members who had

experience with those topics.

Verne Rice, a member from 1969 through

the mid 1970s, shared that there was no

formal, comprehensive NMC manual. "NMC

had lots of thorough, medically sound

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 5

information, but it lacked professional

credibility." She was asked to work on

revising and editing the material into a more

organized training and reference publication.

Verne had 10 years of experience writing and

editing health education material and was

flattered to have been asked, so she said yes.

She said she was "thereby swallowed alive

for another year or two." Verne worked with

many other members who spent months

expanding, rewriting, checking, and

reviewing their information. Verne worked to

get the data into a coherent outline, index,

and editorial design. It took a couple of years

for everyone to edit it. Helen Carmichael,

Harriet Palmer, and Ruth Rosenbaum also

worked on this.

Our last manual was published in 2009

thanks to the efforts of Anne Garrett. She

spent over two years working on revisions,

bring them to the Board, and making more

edits before it was approved by the Board.

Keeping the manual updated was an

incredible amount of work. Finding a

committee to make the revisions and making

sure the information was current was beyond

our volunteer power and scope of practice.

Around 2011 we decided to utilize something

already published. We adopted La Leche

League's Breastfeeding Answer Book. But

then it needed revising and LLL was not

taking action, so we switched to Counseling

the Nursing Mother.

Manuals

La Leche League began in August, 1956, 10

months after NMC's beginning. NMC was

proud that they came first! LLL had a soft

cover manual, just like NMC’s. NMC felt LLL

was too strict. LLL would say a mother was

not a good mother if she didn't breastfeed.

NMC felt supported moms and didn’t make

them feel guilty when they decided to wean.

Moms were told what a good start they had

given their babies and to enjoy their babies.

NMC felt working and nursing were

compatible. The mission has remained the

same for 60 years!

In a 2001 phone message to NMC right

before Rennie passed away, she said "I wrote

out the idea of doing a nursing counsel and

the mothers took off with it. I didn't have

much to do with it after that because they

were so competent and could run it

themselves." When asked why she breastfed

in the 1950's, she said her mother had

breastfed and she assumed it was the natural

way to feed her babies.

In 2005 when we celebrated NMC's 50th

anniversary, I had a phone interview with the

founders along with several of the early

members. The interviews are in NMC’s 50th

Newsletter. You can read it here:

http://nursingmotherscounsel.wildapricot.or

g/history

NMC History

What’s the Same and What has Changed? Following is information I gathered that will

give you a perspective of how NMC began

and ways it's remained the same along with

how it's changed.

Doctors Turned to NMC for Information and Patient Support From 1955 until the early 1990’s, OBs and

pediatricians sought information from and

referred their patients to NMC. There was no

profession of lactation consultants and

hospitals did not have lactation departments

prior to the 1990s.

Even into the 1960's and 1970's, doctors were

not convinced breast milk was the best

nutrition. Women didn't have support in the

family. There were no pumps in the hospitals

when women had their babies.

Ruth Rosenbaum shared that NMC provided

the residents at Stanford Hospital the one

hour of breastfeeding education they

received as part of their medical training. The

counselors tried to cram the most important

information into that one hour!

Ruth Winkler, a counselor from 1959-1968

said: “I would have liked to see every mother

try to breastfeed and give up this idea that

they didn’t have enough milk. It’s so

undermining when you don’t get the

support.”

Breastfeeding Classes were Called "Demonstrations" When NMC held breastfeeding classes,

counselors brought their own babies or had

their contacts come with their babies for a

demonstration. In 1970 classes changed

from demonstrations to "Community

Education". We now call them breastfeeding

classes taught by breastfeeding instructors

instead of "speakers".

Class Attendees/Contacts Become NMC Counselors Many NMC class attendees or contacts we've

helped end up becoming NMC members.

Several of the 60th attendees received

support from NMC and then joined NMC so

they could provide support to others and

prevent them from going through the same

challenges.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 6

Membership categories and requirements Membership categories of Full and Affiliate

members have remained the same.

NMC training requirements are more

comprehensive than in the early years. We

now have 21 hours of orientation training.

The comprehensive exam is completed

during orientation. Provisional members

(those who will become Full Members) have

one year to complete the requirements to

become Full Members. This consists of:

counseling at least two mothers under the

guidance of their advisors experienced Full

Members, attending a NMC breastfeeding

class, completing the required reading, and

shadowing with an IBCLC in a hospital or

clinical setting or accompanying a Full

Member on a home visit.

Affiliate Members are professionals who go

through the training to enhance their skills,

but will not be counselors. Members who

have been Full Members can change their

status to Affiliate when they no longer want

to be counselors.

Associate Members is a new category begun

in the 2000s. This is for anyone who wants to

be a member and support NMC without

going through the training. We have a few

Associate Members. My husband, Dennis,

was the first one, and the only male!

NMC dues Some things never change! In August 1972,

there was a plea for members to pay their

dues. Dues were $6 for a sustaining member

and $10 for an optional contributing

member. Dues were NMC's only income and

committees were unable to proceed without

money. It appears dues payment was not a

requirement for membership.

Since I joined NMC in 1987, dues for Full

Members have remained at $25. Affiliate and

Associate Members pay $40. Lifetime dues

are $200. They are one of our sources of

income. The others are donations and pump

sales/rentals.

Did your husband or children sometimes provide breastfeeding support? Verne Rice remembers the phone calls that

came at dinner time. She shared how one

time she came home and found her husband

embroiled in a conversation about how the

mom should look into her baby's mouth for

white spots to indicate thrush. Attendees

agreed that many of our husbands or

children may have provided assistance to

moms in crisis!

Dinner time calls Pat Bertapelle who attended our 60

th,

joined NMC around 1974. Her fondest

memories are of the calls from parents who

were "scared and at their wits end". She'd

drop everything, tell her husband she needed

to go do a home visit, and would work with

the mom until things came together. We all

understand what it's like when we're on the

phone with a mom at dinner time. We are

lucky that our husbands and families are

usually understanding.

Home visits Many home visits were done in the 1950s and

1960s. One member described a home visit

where the mom was engorged. She said "you

come into a stranger's house and they are so

desperate—they'll do anything. I had the

English breast pump—it was the only one

that worked. Once I got her started pumping,

I started the baby on me and then got the

baby on the mother." We couldn’t do this

now!

Laurie Vavuris did home visits after her kids

were in bed, often returning home quite late.

She found this energizing, feeling she made a

difference. I think we all feel this satisfaction,

but don’t think we did them until midnight!

Laurie had a small suitcase she took on home

visits. She donated it to us at our 60th

event.

Below is a list of what was in her case. She

also took a small nursing pillow and inflatable

donut for the mom to sit on while nursing.

4 hand pumps (Atomist Breast Reliever from England, Barum from Czechoslovakia, Rexall Defender, and Mead Johnson)

Various pacifiers (Baby World price tag of $.39 and $.80)

Breast Shells: Eschmann Meredith circular plastic (from England); $5.95

Evenflo nipple shields (Gemco $.67)

Bertx bra extenders; 3/4 in. $.45; 1" $.49; 1 7/16" $.50

Masse breast cream

Medicine/eye droppers for putting small amounts of milk into baby's mouth (Apex Super dropper $1.35; Medi-Aid $.99; Apothecary Products Ezy Dose, Woltra Medicine & Eyedroppers $.99)

A large glass to show a mom how much water she should drink

Laurie Vavuris’ home visit case

NMC Highlight

Providing Milk for Jamie Porter, A Very Sick Stanford Baby: 1969 Many former members said their most

memorable NMC experience was helping

provide milk for Jamie Porter, a baby who

had gastroenteritis and couldn’t tolerate

anything but breast milk. NMC worked with

Dr. Phillip Sunshine at Stanford. Jamie had

been hospitalized so many times that his

mom’s supply diminished so he wasn’t

getting enough.

The S.F. Milk Bank didn’t have enough milk

so NMC was asked to help find local donors.

Collection of milk was not a function of NMC.

NMC coordinated the effort because of the

urgency of the situation. It was repeatedly

mentioned in the minutes that the best use

of NMC would be to refer donors to Stanford

and teach them the techniques of hand

expression or pumping.

NMC members donated and asked their

contacts for help. Mary Lou Ramsey and

Helen Carmichael were the organizers.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 7

They held meetings about hygiene and

cleanliness. Because the milk was consumed

raw, NMC exercised extreme caution in

screening donors and instructing them on

collection procedures which were approved

and adopted by the doctors in charge. Moms

expressed milk into baby food jars and

learned that they could express a certain

amount, put it in a sterilized measuring cup,

and let it sit in the refrigerator until the

cream had gone to the top. Then they would

add it to the baby food jar. Moms donated an

average of 8 oz. each per week. Some

donated as much as 8 oz. a day! Peninsula

Creamery, Berkeley Farms, and Piers Dairy in

Palo Alto donated dry ice. Jamie improved

greatly. He was drinking up to 60 oz. a day.

After 3 months, the milk collection was

terminated. In May, 1969, Jamie (17 mos.)

began solid foods and was drinking goat’s

milk.

NMC and milk donors were invited to hear

Dr. Phillip Sunshine & Dr. Jane Phillips talk

about Jamie Porter at Stanford's Medical

School. NMC received a thank you from

Stanford for providing milk and coaching

donors so there was no fear of

contamination.

In 2005 when I interviewed Dr. Sunshine for

our 50th anniversary, he said that NMC's

donating milk for Jamie Porter was the

impetus for Theresa Asquith to set up the

Milk Bank in San Jose. He also remembered

a couple of NMC members including Mary

Lou Ramsey worked on Stanford's Review

Board for research. He said "We wanted

people from the community to serve on it. I

couldn’t think of anyone except people from

the NMC group, and they did a terrific job."

This shows how highly respected NMC was!

1970s and 80s

San Francisco Milk Bank In June, 1970, Dr. William Silverman, Chief,

Perinatology, Kaiser Permanente, S.F.

invited members of NMC to attend the

discussion of milk bank practices. Helen

Carmichael, Harriet Palmer, and Mary Lou

Ramsey attended.

In April, 1974, NMC was working with the

S.F. Mother's Milk Bank (3700 California

St., now CPMC) to have freezer storage

available for local donors. The fee for milk

was $.40 an ounce; donors were paid $.15 an

ounce. Donors needed recent chest x-ray, a

physical, OB & pediatrician approval.

Bacteria counts were done on the first three

donations and then once a week. Pooled milk

was sampled twice a week.

Request for Milk Donors for Two More Stanford Babies On October 19, 1970, Dr. Sunshine asked

NMC to help provide milk for Jason and

Tommy, sick babies who were allergic to

formula. Mary Lou Ramsey told him NMC's

policy was to provide the hospital only with

names from NMC's newly formed registry of

potential donors which had 30 names. She

sent him NMC’s "instructions for donors”.

Stanford used

these instructions and asked if Mary Lou,

Ruth Rosenbaum, and Flora Kyle could be

contacted for information about expressing

milk. On Nov. 10, 1970 the Palo Alto Times

Plea for Mother's Milk for Jason and Tommy

brought over 500 moms offering to donate

milk. These donors were not screened in any

way, so milk had to be pasteurized. LLL

supplied large amounts of milk. Within two

days they had enough milk!

Vote to change Nursing Mothers Counsel to Nursing Mothers Council The March, 1971, newsletter had results.

Members wanted to keep Counsel.

Medical Advisory Board formed Instead of counselors asking their own

doctors questions on behalf of a nursing

mom, a Medical Advisory Board was

formed. The first Board consisted of 3

doctors: Dr. Don Creevy, Dr. John E. Hoff,

and Dr. Phillip Sunshine. They were

supportive of breastfeeding when many in

obstetrics and pediatrics were not.

Our Medical Advisory Board changed a bit.

We now have IBCLCs, a family medicine

doctor/IBCLC, an infectious disease doctor,

and a sexologist. The role of Professional

Relations Board Chair was created to handle

medical-related questions and consult with

the Medical Advisory Board.

NMC's Incorporation/Expansion Kate Wolf-Pizor was Coordinator when NMC

was deciding whether to grow beyond the

boundaries of Palo Alto and Mountain View.

NMC decided if they wanted to be bigger,

they needed to incorporate. Kate did a lot of

research at the Stanford Law Library on how

to incorporate. This was a big step for. NMC.

The March, 1971, newsletter told about

Articles of Incorporation being submitted to

the state. In April, 1972, NMC was

incorporated. I found an embossing tool

with the incorporation seal in one of the

boxes and it was on display at our 60th. I

have no idea what it was used for!

In September, 1974, there were 115

members from Foster City through San

Jose. In November, 1979, there were 154

members who had 1,809 contacts!

In 1983, all counselors were members of

the "San Francisco Bay Region" which

consisted of the Mid-Peninsula Chapter of

San Mateo, Redwood City, and Palo Alto;

the South Peninsula Chapter of Sunnyvale

through San Jose. It was approved to divide

the sections into chapters to allow for growth

at local, regional, and national levels. The

minutes say "Watch out LLL International!”

Check out these statistics for the Oct. 1,

1987 through Sept. 30, 1988, fiscal year:

Members Contacts S.F. 19 304 San Mateo 45 1,706 Santa Clara 70 4,500 Santa Cruz 53 1,872 Sacramento 21 1,160 Golden Empire 8 100 Denver 25 312 Ft. Wayne 19 453 Totals 237 10,407 Here are statistics for the last two years: Members Contacts Santa Cruz 2013/14 14 386 2015/16 14 241 S.B. Bay Area 2013/14 51 466 2015/16 38 345 Totals 2013/14 65 852 2015/16 52 586

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 8

“We're small, but mighty!” (Lisa Piediscalzi's description)

In-Hospital Rounds In April, 1974, Harriet Palmer and Mary

Jane Otte provided three in-service

presentations on breastfeeding to maternity

nursing staff at Kaiser Santa Clara. The staff

felt they had no time to do more than they

were doing. Harriet asked if it might be

helpful to have several members of NMC

come into the hospital on a regular basis to

help moms, and of course this was well-

received. It was proposed that two members

come three times a week for 2 1/2 to 3 hours

to counsel mothers individually and perhaps

in small groups. The program began in

August, 1974 with volunteers 4 days a week

during early afternoon feeding time.

Harriet contacted Kaiser Redwood City in

May, 1975, about NMC members doing

rounds there. I enjoyed doing rounds in the

late 1980's until they had full time lactation

consultants around 1990 and no longer

needed NMC.

NMC was also contacted by 2 other hospitals

for NMC members to do rounds: Valley

Medical Center and Mills Hospital (1978).

Toni Dill Designed the NMC Logo NMC counselors doing lactation rounds at

Kaiser Santa Clara wanted a NMC pin to wear

\so nurses would recognize them. They also

wanted a sense of identity among

themselves. Toni Dill Lee was a member in

the 1970s, and she designed the NMC logo.

She was an artist and wanted to create

something loving and supportive. We are

proud of these pins! All new Full Members

receive one.

1980s and 90s

During the 1980s to 1990s, there were 16 Chapters:

1. Santa Clara (which merged with San Mateo in 2006)

2. San Mateo 3. San Francisco Regional started by

Anne Garrett and Nancie Brown in 1984; split from San Mateo Chapter; dissolved in 2000 and merged with San Mateo Chapter)

4. Santa Clara 1955-Sept. 2006; dissolved and merged with San Mateo Chapter to become S.F. Bay Area Chapter

5. Berkeley/Oakland 6. Marin (1982-1090) 7. Santa Cruz began in 1985; Martha de la

Soujeole planned their training so this is their 30th anniversary! In January of 1986, Dominican Hospital asked them to provide their hospital in-service program which they did through October, 2015.

8. Berkeley/Oakland 9. Sacramento which existed from 1981-

1985 or 1987 10. Motherlode (Sonora area): 1986 in

existence: Stacy Muller, San Andreas 11. Placer County 12. Stanislaus (Modesto area) which

existed from 1983-1992 13. Golden Empire (Bakersfield area)

started by Marsha Brandt from Santa Clara existed from 1985-1997

14. Ft. Wayne, Indiana, started 11-19-86 by Carole Peterson from the San Mateo. Chapter dissolved 1993

15. Denver, CO (started by Colleen Gill when she moved there)

16. Portland, OR: started out as a group called Breastfeeding Buddies; resigned as a sister chapter in April 1985, but kept our name, which they should not have been allowed to do.

NMC retreats Retreats were held at the same house at

Pajaro Dunes, House #64, every year from

Friday afternoon through Sunday

afternoon; 15-20 would attend. Members

from all chapters were invited to attend. Pat

Bertapelle spoke about how there were fun

things to do during the day such as volleyball

and bike rides. Every night they played

charades. They did work on NMC projects,

too!

In 1984 National (now called the Executive

level of NMC) no longer sponsored the

retreat so the Santa Clara Chapter organized

it. It was “time away from our daily routines

to renew ourselves and return refreshed. It

will be a time to reflect, study, interact with

old friends, and make new friends. Also an

opportunity to share NMC experiences and

ideas.” The cost for 3 days was $30; $7 for 1

day. Items to bring were: tennis rackets,

jogging shoes, suntan lotion, and a nice fat

novel! No one had cell phones or computers,

so life was different back then. We need this

now!

Creation of NMC website Beginning in October, 1996, the minutes

show much discussion in deciding on the

domain name. In January, 1997, NMC had a

site on the Worldwide Web:

www.nursingmothers.org

We have Gretchen McDougall, our wonderful

Webmaster, to thank for creating what is

now on our website and maintaining it! She

plans to do some updating in the near future.

NMC Counselors who become IBCLCs Many of those attending the 60th started out

as volunteers with NMC and then went on to

become IBCLCs. Most hospitals in the S.F.

Bay Area have an IBCLC that is or was a

member of NMC!

Melanie Reitzel (formerly Ashworth) joined

in NMC in Spring 1978. Pat Bertapelle was

her advisor. Melanie was going to join LLL,

but Pat told her not to do that and to join

NMC instead! Melanie then began nursing

school and asked when they were going to

receive information about breastfeeding.

She was told that that was not covered. She

ended up providing a 1-2 hour talk! Being a

member of NMC got Melanie her job at

Stanford. She wrote a letter to Stanford

saying she had been working with NMC and

only wanted to do maternity nursing. She

was hired on the spot!

Marcie Bertram joined NMC in the 1980s.

She was an RN and then became an IBCLC.

She's worked at Kaiser, Redwood City, for

over 30 years! She knows the history of what

it was like before there was a lactation

department.

Both Marcie and Melanie serve on NMC's

Medical Advisory Board.

NMC Anniversaries

1970

NMC's 15th Anniversary, Nov. 6, 1970, Mid-Peninsula YWCA, Palo Alto This event honored NMC's Founder, Rennie

Wilsnack with "an entertaining talk" by Dr.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 9

William Silverman, Chief, Perinatology,

Kaiser Permanente, S.F.

NMC gave a copy of their newly published

training manual to keynote speaker Dr.

William Silverman of Permanente Medical

Group, S.F. He shared it with a colleague

whose daughter-in-law, Karen Pryor, who

took sections from the manual and used

them in her book, Nursing Your Baby, not

giving credit to NMC. NMC members were

very angry. They had meetings about what

to do and had discussions with a couple of

members' husbands who were attorneys. But

then they realized that NMC’s philosophy

was in the book and other moms would be

reading it. They did not take legal action, but

they did send her a registered letter and

received no response.

1995

NMC's 40th Anniversary, October 7, 1995, Hyatt Rickeys, Palo Alto The event was from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

with the speaker's reception until 7:30 p.m.

The cost for members was $60 with no lunch

included. Kathleen Huggins was one of the

keynote speakers along with NMC's own

Melanie Ashworth (Reitzel). I remember

Kathleen autographed her new edition of The

Nursing Mothers Companion. Here we are 20

years later and she has the 7th edition of her

book that she signed at our 60th!

There were congratulatory letters from many

legislators and dignitaries. Governor Pete

Wilson and his wife Gayle wrote about the

benefits of breastfeeding and the efforts of

his administration to encourage

breastfeeding. He proclaimed August as

Breastfeeding Awareness Month and

signed into law a woman's right to

breastfeed in public.

Several pediatricians on the Medical

Advisory Board thanked NMC for all the

patients from their practices that NMC

helped. Dr. Don Lathrop who was on the

Medical Advisory Board for 34 years said he

was proud to be affiliated with NMC.

Dr. Stephen Buchner said he started his

practice he was shocked that the older

physicians in the community did not promote

breastfeeding. His first formal contact with

NMC was at Pat Bertapelle's home in Foster

City. He said the members present were

dedicated volunteers. "I will never forget the

evening at Menlo Clinic where Melanie

Ashworth amazed me with her simple and

effective solutions to attachment problems".

Dr. Richard Greene said "NMC has

continued to be a wonderful, caring, and

major informational resource for this

community's pediatricians as well as new

mothers. From one of the area's long time

pediatricians, thank you very much.”

Rennie Wilsnak wrote:

Dear Friends,

I am so impressed by all you have

accomplished in the 40 years of Nursing

Mothers Counsel. The "word" has spread far

and wide. You're published! Information about

your help is posted in clinics and hospitals. You

sponsor workshops and constantly expand and

upgrade your knowledge. You are recognized

by public officials as a valuable health

resource. It's wonderful to think of the

thousands of mothers and fathers and babies

you have helped. Generations to come will

benefit from your good work.

Congratulations on your dedication and good

work. Keep it up!

2005

NMC's 50th Anniversary. Sept. 18, 2005, Foster City Recreation Center. The event was from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The

cost was $30 for members and $45 for non-

members. Lunch was included. Amy

Spangler, RN, IBCLC, and former President

of the International Lactation Consultant

Association and Chair of the U.S.

Breastfeeding Committee, was the keynote

speaker. Her topic was "Teaching without

Preaching".

The event began with a panel discussion

with NMC Founders (Laurie Vavuris,

Nonette Hanko, and Lil Kavanaugh) and

Honorary (first generation) Members

We were eager to hear what the panel had to

share about their experiences, but they were

eager to hear what was currently happening!

NMC’s 60th Anniversary Historical Display Table We received the following honors for our

60th

. Sadly we received nothing from

President Obama, despite at least 4 requests.

President Clinton congratulated us on our

50th

!

1. Certificate of Honor from the City &

County of San Francisco signed by Mayor

Ed Lee

2. Resolution from San Mateo Co. Board of

Supervisors

3. Commendation from Santa Clara Co.

Board of Supervisors signed by Joe

Simitian

4. Proclamation from Santa Cruz Co. Board

of Supervisors

5. Letter from Santa Cruz. Co.

Breastfeeding Coalition

6. Letter from San Mateo Co. Breastfeeding

Task Force

7. Letter from the Breastfeeding Task Force

of Santa Clara County

8. Letter from The U.S. Lactation

Consultant Association

9. Letter from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

10. Letter from Congresswoman Jackie

Speier

11. Proclamation from CA State Assembly

Members Kevin Mullin, Phil Ting,Rich

Gordon, and CA State Senator Jerry Hill

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 10

From left: Laurie Vavuris, Ruth Dueterte, Lil Kavanaugh & daughter, Maureen Wolff, Verne Rice, Nonette Hanko, Harriet Palmer, Ruth Buneman

Jennifer Hyrkin and Lisa Piediscalzi (Peggy Ripley in background)

Delicious breast cupcakes!

Halina Vaughan and Angie Burger

A tableful of cupcakes

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 11

NMC's 60th Keynote Speaker Presentations by Lori McBride

Kathleen Huggins Kathleen Huggins started one of the first

Breastfeeding Clinics in the U.S. in San Luis

Obispo in 1981 while attending UCLA’s

Lactation Program. She also began a

Breastfeeding Warmline answering calls 24/7

that same year. The mothers became her

teachers and in 1985 she wrote The Nursing

Mothers’ Companion which quickly became a

best seller. Kathleen has written 5 other

books on such topics as weaning, working

and nursing, and a breast-feeding diary. She

had two studies published; one on mothers

with chronic sore nipples and another on

mothers with Insufficient Glandular Tissue.

Kathleen Huggins

For over 30 years Kathleen helped thousands

of women nurse their babies until her semi-

retirement in 2014. Today Kathleen has a

small maternity and baby store and sees

mothers part-time in her “Breastaurant.”

I had the opportunity to hear Kathleen

Huggins speak about insufficient glandular

tissue and low milk supply 20 years ago at

NMC’s 40th

Anniversary. Many attending our

60th

had attended our 40th

.

A year and a half ago Kathleen contacted me

to make sure the information she was

putting about NMC in her latest edition of

The Nursing Mothers Companion was up to

date. I shared how I remember her speaking

at NMC's 40th Anniversary event and how we

were now planning our 60th. Kathleen said

she no longer did speaking engagements,

but she would love to come speak to NMC. I

was so excited! I think we also spent about 45

minutes talking about breast pumps. She has

researched everyone on the market and is a

wealth of information! I know that are

hundreds of NMC members who have this

book and have shared it with family and

friends.

Kathleen's first presentation was on

“Identifying the High-Risk Mother Baby

Couple”. She spoke about identifying

maternal high risk markers which includes

inverted/flat nipples, bifurcated nipples, little

or no breast changes in pregnancy,

abnormally large nipples, previous chest

burns/trauma, previous breast surgeries, and

breast hypoplasia characteristics. Babies at

risk for insufficient milk transfer are later

preterm infants (34-36.6 weeks GA),

multiples, low tone infants (i.e. Down

Syndrome), those with abnormal oral

anatomy (high palate, tongue-tie, retracted

jaw, etc.), and those with poor latch. She said

high risk mothers and infants should be

identified prior to discharge (i.e. excessive

weight loss, jaundice, poor feeds and any

maternal issues (labor/delivery, Pitocin, c-

section, epidural). The discharge information

should include a feeding plan, stool/urine

counts, and resources for help in writing. She

also spoke about sore nipples and treatment.

Check your email over the next few weeks for a

link to a video of Kathleen’s presentation.

The Nursing Mother’s Companion, 7th

Edition, for sale at the celebration event.

Carole Peterson Carole Peterson was a member of the San

Mateo Chapter of NMC in 1979. She held

several positions. I saw her name mentioned

in many of the files I went through. In 1983

she moved to Indiana and started a NMC

Chapter in Fort Wayne!.

Carole Peterson

In 1989 Carole became the first IBCLC hired

to be a Lactation Consultant at an urban WIC

clinic in Indiana. She is currently the National

WIC Association Breastfeeding Committee

Chairperson, serving on numerous national

task forces and committee. She also is the

Regional breastfeeding Educator for

Northern Indiana. In addition, Carole is

program developer and presenter for

Lactation Education Consultants.

Carole was awarded the Excellence in

Breastfeeding Award from the USDA

Midwest Region, the Making a Difference

Award from Illinois for Lactation Education,

and was first WIC inductee into the Hall of

Lactation Excellence in 2009. She has

lectured on lactation all over the United

States since 1995.

She has two brilliant exclusively breastfed

children and 4 exclusively breastfed

grandchildren.

Carole has always believed breastfeeding is a

feminist issue and these mothers and their

babies are the power of the future.

I was very excited when Kathleen told me

that Carole wanted to co-present with her on

the afternoon topic, "The Healing Power of

Breastfeeding: Supporting Mothers Who

Have Experienced Sexual Trauma". Carole

paid her own air faire to come present at our

60th. She said she wanted to give back to

NMC. We are very appreciative of her

generosity.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 12

Carole contributed so much to NMC both in

San Mateo and Fort Wayne. How perfect that

she would be with us to celebrate our 60th

Anniversary!

I am very grateful to Carole for her providing

the following summary of her presentation:

“Have you ever wondered?” by Carole Peterson

One of four women in the US have a history

of childhood sexual abuse. This history many

times may relate to the breastfeeding

experience of these women when they

become a mother.

Research indicates that a higher number of

these women will choose to breastfeed their

infants. However, they will face more

concerns and possible problems and may

stop breastfeeding earlier. Some may “just

say no” to breastfeeding due to these fears

and responses. The mothers who choose to

breastfeed may exhibit behaviors and

concerns that we, as counselors, need to be

aware of and respond to appropriately.

These women may overact and appear overly

stressed by feelings experience while

breastfeeding.

We also need to be aware many of these

mothers are more likely to express these

concerns to us as counselors than their

health care provider. Or they may not tell us

at all. Some indications that may suggest

that mothers have experienced childhood

sexual abuse are late prenatal care, poor

compliance to care, drug/alcohol abuse,

eating disorders, medical complaints with no

organic cause, lack of hygiene, sensitivity of

their body, difficulty putting the baby to the

breast describing the act as gross, and up to

40% may manifest symptoms of PTSD.

Mothers with a history of sexual abuse may

have react to breastfeeding by experiencing

shame of their body, fear of failure, may see

touch as a violation which can include self,

infant and medical touch, their relationship

with their breast is usually negative. These

mothers may feel numb or separate

themselves from the situation. Many times it

is very difficult for them to challenge medical

authority, care and advice. They also are

many times afraid to trust their instincts and

trust people, as trusted people failed and

violated them.

On a positive note, these mothers believe

breastfeeding helped them to heal. This is

what their body was meant to do and it is a

positive experience. Breastfeeding

normalized their breasts and the relationship

with them.

What can we do to help these mothers?

Be available to listen, especially during the

early days of breastfeeding, concerns

about night time feedings and offer

guidance about normal baby behavior as

the baby grows. Help to reduce the

triggers to memories of the abuse.

Discuss her feelings about birth

Thoughts and feelings about

breastfeeding

Respect her privacy

Discuss ideas of change in behaviors she

may feel more comfortable doing

Feed on cue, do not use the words “on

demand”

Explain baby’s behavior and discuss how

you may change something to make the

mother more comfortable

Discuss feelings caused by oxytocin

Remind the mother to take care of

yourself: she may neglect her own needs

by attempting to do everything perfectly

Discuss relaxation and soothing behaviors

to manage panic attacks

Be aware of depressive symptoms and

referral options.

Our most important role is to encourage

empowerment. Help these mothers to

achieve their breastfeeding goal whatever

that may be.

A personal story from Kathleen Huggins After Carole's presentation, Kathleen

Huggins shared her personal story of the

powerful ways in which breastfeeding her

children influenced her own journey in

healing from childhood abuse. Kathleen's

presentation was deeply moving and

illustrated the fact that when we help

mothers achieve their breastfeeding goals,

we are oftentimes helping them in ways we

cannot even know.

Member Memories Following Kathleen's presentation, several

members and former members, beginning

with Laurie Vavuris, shared their special

NMC memories. Unfortunately, Lil and

Nonette left before the end, so we did not

have the opportunity to hear their stories.

Laurie’s daughter, Jeanette Scott, shared

about providing breastfeeding help to a new

mom at Dominican and how she

remembered all the advice she had heard her

mom giving!

Hearing the stories and sharing in the humor

was a perfect way to end our celebration, We

are a special group of dedicated,

compassionate, supportive women who

remain connected to each other through our

Nursing Mothers Counsel community.

Thank you to all former and current

members who contributed the

stories/memories below. Many were shared

over the phone and I wrote them up. Some

were letters in files in the storage unit. I could

not omit any of them from this newsletter.

These provide a personal and unique

perspective of our history and I think you will

treasure them!

We are a special group of dedicated,

compassionate, supportive women who

remain connected to each other through our

Nursing Mothers Counsel community. We

continue with the same mission of our

founders and remain highly respected by our

communities. I hope we will all be together

for a 70th or 75th Anniversary!

Laurie Vavuris

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 13

In Memoriam

Rennie Wilsnack: April 30, 1922 - Mar. 8, 2001 –Founder of NMC

Tammy Lorenz: May 8, 1958 - Aug. 2, 1995– San Mateo Chapter

Carol Abramowski: Dec. 12, 1945 - Apr. 26, 2002–San Mateo Chapter

Brenda Lovas: Feb. 20, 1941 - Oct. 26, 2005

DeDe Houghton: April 4, 1967 - July 7, 2011– Santa Cruz Chapter

Anne Garrett: Sept. 20, 1950 - July 6, 2012– Founder S.F. Chapter. Dedicated, giving, member and advocate, S.F. Bay Area Chapter.

Terry Beck: July 1, 1952 - Oct 5, 2012–Santa Cruz Chapter

Kathie Darby: Mar. 22, 1959 - Feb. 15, 2014– San Francisco Chapter

Nita Hemrick: Sept. 4,1953 - Jan. 5,2015 – Santa Cruz Chapter

Frances Nitzberg: June 10, 2015

Marian Singleton

Member Memories and Stories

Laurie Vavuris Laurie (age 85—one of the four founders of NMC) shared several stories with me when we spoke on the phone. She has such a positive spirit and has a wonderful sense of humor. I could listen to her stories for hours! Laurie has 9 children, 25 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren! Four of her daughters are nurses. Laurie was a member until the early ‘70s when she became a grandma and felt it was time for the younger people to take over..

Laurie's husband died four years ago. She advised me: "No matter what age you are, couples don't die at the same time. Talk about what you want in terms of remaining in your house, moving to assisted living, etc." Laurie wanted to stay in her Palo Alto home where she has lived since June, 1955. When she moved there, it had 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. They added on 3 times, and now she has 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. After her husband died, she got 3 housemates.

Laurie still does community service! She volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul—visiting

some residents in Invision—and Urban Ministry in Palo Alto. She is a founding member of another organization besides NMC—The Family Food Closet in Palo Alto which she has been involved with for 30+ years. She picks up food for the homeless. She no longer drives, but she has an electric scooter she uses. Don't we want to be like her when we get older!

Laurie shared stories with me over phone and I asked her if she could write them and send them to me for the newsletter. She went above and beyond that! Laurie wrote 9 stories from the perspective of each of her children. She said “I decided to go through the local history of childbirth education and NMC from my experience as told through my children. I interviewed some of my oldest kids and then wrote the letters myself as though they were from them. It took more time than I thought it would.”

Laurie’s firstborn, Katy Kathryn Louise, 6 lbs. 12 oz., 1952. Katy is a retired preschool/elementary school teacher

I am Katy, the first-born child in our family, who stayed home with our dad that night in October, 1955. It was when our little sister, Ruth, became a NMC “founding baby” (But what she doesn’t know is my sister, Margie, and I got to play extra long in the bathtub that night. Then we had lots of stories read to us by our dad before bed time, and she didn’t, so there, Ruth!)

Growing up, some of my memories of NMC are the following

Mom on the phone with often frantic new moms

Having to wait….until she hung up the phone

Learning patience by waiting

Sometimes having to solve my own problem

Being proud I did solve my own problem

Other moms bringing frozen bottles of breast milk for Saturday pick up from the freezer at our house

The donating moms being reluctant to hand over their precious frozen milk to one of us kids answering the front door (Two of these projects went on for several years. One saved a little boy’s life at Stanford, and another was through UC Medical School in San Francisco.

P.S. The great doctor my mom went to for her first prenatal visit had just returned from England where he had taken a class from Dr.

Grady-Dick Reed. (Dr. Reed had written a book, Childbirth Without Fear.) At our first appointment, Dr. Reed had my mother lie down and demonstrate what she thought relaxing was. He came back five minutes later, lifted her arm in the air, then let go. Mom’s arm stayed up in the air. “Oh, no, he said. That will never do. Your arm was to have just dropped down when I let go. Your eyes should have been only half open, your jaw loose, and you should be relaxed like a rag doll. Let’s try again.” She passed the second time. Mom must have learned fast because when he rushed to the hospital to deliver me, I was already born! He retired not long after that.

Rennie Wilsnak was not the first childbirth education teacher in Palo Alto. She took over when Mabel Fitzhugh, a physical therapist, retired. When Mabel has started her classes, local OBs said they would only refer their patients to her classes if she indicated there were only two kinds of delivery—natural and surgical! Most of them pretty much prepared to use coddle anesthesia most of the time. Sadly, if she wanted students in her classes, she had to leave a few things unsaid.

Laurie’s 2nd: Margie Marjorie Ellen, 4 lbs., 15 oz., 1953, smallest newborn in family. Margie is a RN in a teen psychiatric unit

I also enjoyed spending that evening with my dad and sister, Katy, while my newborn sister, Ruth, was “sent forth” to be the “founding baby” of NMC back in 1955. The very sad story I’ll share is when the first born of my own three children died suddenly at 14 months, and our trying to cope with that very difficult experience in 1980.

Shortly after that event, my husband and I were invited to a “Compassionate Friends” home meeting. This is a healing group of people who have lost a child. Meetings are put on by “more recovered” parents who are offering help to the bereaved group. It did help as I noted watching others at worse or better stages of recovery than ours. If they could go through this, maybe we could, too. Each meeting tried to bring more care and healing to us.

When I was 6 weeks old, my pediatrician insisted on my starting strained vegetables! By the time I was several months old, I was also eating cereals, strained fruits, egg yolk, and strained meats! With more experience and confidence, Mom delayed solid foods until months later for my younger sisters and brothers. This made increasing her milk supply much easier, too!

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 14

Later we were blessed with two more children. Today we just love being grandparents! It is the greatest! It’s important for NMC members to know about and be able to refer others to Compassionate Friends should a need arise. No one who has not had this very difficult experience can really say, “I know how you feel” except a parent who has experience this terrible loss.

Compassionate Friends: Compassionatefriendsbayarea.org

Phil & Gloria: 650-994-8263

Laurie’s 3rd: Ruth Ruth Anne, 7lbs, 15 oz, 3

rd born, 1955,

Founding Baby! Ruth’s business is Sweet Pea Prints; she’s also a craft teacher

I am the first in the family with brown eyes. When the first gathering of some of the graduates of Rennie Wilsnak’s Palo Alto childbirth education classes was held in her home, I, Ruth Anne, was but a few weeks old. So naturally I came along with my mom. My toddler sisters were stuck at home with our dad. That gives me the honor of being a founding baby, doesn’t it? That meeting actually became the first gathering of what is today Nursing Mothers Counsel. My mom, Laurie Vavuris, is one of the NMC founding mothers. She was 25 years old in 1955, and the time has whizzed by. Her 86

th birthday

will be celebrated in 2016 with four generations of family.

P.S. Here is an interesting 1955 aside: Upon signing Mom’s hospital discharge after I was born, her doctor encouragingly commented, “Oh, I see here you plan to nurse. Well, don’t get any ashes in her eyes.” My mom answered with an astonished, “What!”, as he left the room, waving goodbye. Mom eventually went through 4 different doctors until she found one that was local, and a bit more flexible. That was no easy task back then.

PPS: Rennie Wilsnak had called that first meeting in October of 1955 partly, she said, because her husband hated eating burned carrots at dinnertime! (She was so often on the phone with distraught new mothers from the childbirth education classes she taught.) With two preschoolers and a mad husband, she just couldn’t continue to do this phone stuff alone. “Would we get trained and help, she pleaded?” What else could we say but yes!

Thank you NMC for the past 60 years! I think Rennie is surely smiling down on you!

Laurie’s 4th: Joe Joseph Paul, 7 lbs., 2 oz, 1957; first son. Joe has a landscape company

I was the first boy and fourth child. I also was the only one who had colic in my family. When I was several months old, Mom and I showed up at the Mills Hospital Childbirth Education class in San Mateo on “Infant Nutrition Night” arranged through NMC. We walked around the room until I finally quieted down and got down to business nursing. It turned out to also be a demo of colic.

My parents’ grandchildren and great grandchildren have all be been breastfeed. It seems no one really knows anything about the art of formula!

Laurie’s 5th: Jeanette Jeanette Marie, 6 lbs., 10 oz., born Christmas Eve 1958. Jeanette is a RN, BSN, IGCN

Growing up as the 5th

born child of a NMC member, I have stories to tell, also. While I had many similar memories as my three older sisters, I’ll tell one sort of funny one that happened while I was a student-nurse. One day I was working in a hospital newborn nursery setting. My job that shift was to take the newborns to their moms to be fed. There was no rooming-in there. I thought all was going pretty well when the head nurse said, somewhat sternly, “Sit down, Jeanette, we need to talk”. Woops, I thought, wondering what I might have done wrong. Was I in trouble? Here’s what followed. “Jeanette, how old are you?” “Nineteen”, I said slowly. “And how many children have you had?” “None”, I answered, somewhat perplexed by the questions. “Why, Jeanette, are so many of our new mothers asking for YOU when they turn on their light? And they don’t want help from our regular staff if YOU will just return to help them again.” At first I didn’t know exactly how to respond but was at least relieved to hear I wasn’t in serious trouble! “Well”, I stammered slowly, “maybe because my mom counseled new breastfeeding mothers as I was growing up. I often overheard her end of many of those phone conversations. Could that be it? Maybe these things are just stuck somewhere in my head. So when these new moms seemed to be having trouble with positioning or latching, or whatever, a workable solution just seems to pop into my head—things I guess I heard my own mom say. I don’t really fully understand either”, I said thoughtfully.

P.S. Oh yes, my mom finally found a local OB that suited her by the time she was expecting me. He and his wife even read all the books in

our NMC library (there weren’t that many) and attended the NMC 15

th Anniversary

celebration in 1970 at the YWCA in Palo Alto.

P.P.S. I called Laurie to see if this was Dr. John Hoff and his wife, Shirley. It was! I had heard about how they read our manual and library books. He had been on our Medical Advisory Board.

Laurie’s 6th: Marty Martin James, 6 lbs., 14 oz, 1960; second son. Marty is a cabinet maker and now does sales.

I was the second boy in my family and the first one to be born at the newly built Stanford Hospital in 1960. It was supposed to be “state of the art”. But did it have the rooming-in my mom had worked to gets lots of signatures for? NO! Were dads allowed in the delivery rooms? NO! So we weren’t impressed and went home the next day.

Of course, like most of the infants in my family, I started my community service very early in life doing demos with Mom at local childbirth education classes on “Infant Nutrition Night” as arranged by NMC.

P.S. My mom had been an only child growing up. She always wished for brothers and sisters and finally realized she would just have to become an adult and hope for the size family she had wishes for. At age 28 my dad was more than ready to put World War II behind him and enjoy family again. A sizable family was what they both wanted and really enjoyed raising each of us (most of the time).

Laurie’s 7th: Irene Irene Emily, 6 lbs., 6 oz., youngest daughter, 1963. Easter Baby. Irene is a surgical nurse.

I am the youngest daughter in my family. I have a story to tell as well. When I was about 4 months old, one of my mom’s close friends who had just had a baby a few days before, phoned and asked her to please comer over P.D.Q (pretty darn quick). She lived just a black or so away from us. As my mom was about to feed me before long anyway, she just put me right into my baby buggy and we were there shortly.

Here was the scene: This slender mom’s milk had come big time and she was so engorged she looked and felt like two basketballs in front. Her newborn son just could not latch on to a basketball! Step 1: New mom got into the shower and tried to express. No luck. AND, newborn baby boy was HUNGRY!

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 15

In the “library” of NMC at the time were two E-Cup nursing bras my mom had brought along. They wouldn’t even go around her—too small! So now what? Electric pumps weren’t even in the mix yet, and NMC certainly didn’t have any at that time. Next step: The drapes were closed to make the living room a bit darker. My mom had her friend put a thin see-through

scarf over her head and face so I couldn’t see her friend’s face clearly when she held me. By this time I was waking up from my nice buggy ride nap. Guess what they did next? Something so common-place centuries past. They just switched infants for a feeding, and the problem was resolved. My mom fed her newborn a bit, and I helped the new mom soften her nipple area so her newborn could latch on. (I even got a gourmet meal, too!). Being a four month pro-nurser, I take all the credit! Not your typical solution? Well, no. Did it work? Absolutely! Some would call this a solution among friends. Proves again, common sense isn’t always so common, is it?

P.S. from Lori McBride: I had to do a search to see what P.D.Q. meant—new meanings are not the same as that from 1963! Also, the scarf Laurie mentions was in her home visit case. I thought she had accidentally left it there, so I mailed it back to her. She called me to share this story! That’s when I asked her to please write about it. I’m so happy she did!

Laurie’s 8th: Rob Robert George, 7 lbs., 2 oz., 1965, Rob is a LVN

I was born 2 days before my mom’s birthday in 1965. I was the first boy with brown eyes in my family. My big sisters, Jeanette and Irene, enjoyed playing house with me when I was a baby. Actually, though, they were quite annoyed when I got old enough to crawl away from the many “houses” they built with blankets over our dining room table. They also enjoyed upsetting my two older brothers when they put what had been their baby bonnets and dresses on me. Needless to say, Mom and I showed up at a childbirth class or two on breastfeeding discussion nights for the demo.

Oh yes, I was the first baby in our family with my dad being “allowed” in the delivery from at Stanford Hospital.

Laurie’s 9th: Ken Kenneth Edward, 6 lbs., 10 oz, 1968. Ken has a construction/landscape business

I am the youngest in my family and was born in 1968 at Stanford Hospital. My dad got to be in the delivery room when I was born, too. My claim to NMC fame is because I was the baby who helped break the gender barrier for dads being part of the scene in the expectant parents Nutrition Night class. Both of my parents took me to a NMC arranged Red Cross class in Palo Alto when I was a newborn. As was her usual custom, my mom asked the group how many people there had ever seen a baby nurse. It was always the same—ver6y few had. Just before my mom unbuttoned her blouse, the somewhat nervous teacher of the class let the expectant dads know they could take a break if they wished. None did. This was the sixties man—they were hip! Little did they know it was the first time breastfeeding had ever been demonstrated in a mixed group of parents-to-be at the Red Cross classes there. Cutting edge, no less, and I helped make history! Heck, I even did a great loud burp during the discussion on that topic. Why did everybody laugh? I did a great job, at just the right moment!

Ruth Winkler

“I WANTED TO - JUST DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH”

Hush, Hush! It all happened long ago. Maybe your babies flourished on their “nice little bottles” my pediatrician’s receptionist so kindly suggested. Maybe she was right and maybe she was absolutely wrong! Maybe you were spared more frustration and heart ache and maybe your wailing child was suddenly sleepy, rosy and content.

So why all the fuss over breast feeding? Now days most hospitals in our State provide a Lactation Nurse to help and support new mothers during the 6-8 weeks post-partum to develop a secure base for an ample supply. The benefits of breast feeding for mother and child are recognized .Positive advice and encouragement seem to be more often provided. What a change of heart! I hope so.

So here are my stories from long ago. 57 years in fact. My first born, Paul, was a lusty 8 lb. boy with a voracious appetite. I was determined to breastfeed, weighed him after every feeding to be sure he was getting enough and still he wailed on! On the verge of quitting, I was lucky enough to come in contact with a new organization, as yet without a name. I remember the night we became “Nursing Mother’s Counsel” or was it “Council”? We weren’t even sure how to spell “Counsel or even if it was a real word and applicable. I became a volunteer, provided many demonstrations, in house visits to

engorged mothers and others in distress. Paul guzzled my milk, flourished and became fat and happy and stopped wailing! A happy ending.

But this is not the story I want to tell for the “wanted to but couldn’t.” Truth is you were most likely given little encouragement, little support and lots of bad advice. Here are the stories about two women who were having difficulties with conception and bringing their babies to term. Neither of them had previously born a child. Lisa was a friend, Ellie my daughter-in-law. Both had experienced their frustrations and both had decided to adopt and both had decided to nurse their babies.

Popular mythology was, at the time, (still the same?) that success in such situations was not possible. Lisa was determined to prove them wrong. She nursed her baby boy night and day whenever he demanded. She called me frequently, worked to solve problems, and soon was reporting success. Although her big boy was never breastfed 100%, she was able to provide a probable 75- 80% of his needs. She was overjoyed with her accomplishment especially feeling redeemed in her mind, for her inability to produce a child biologically. Richard was nursed for close to 1 year.

Ellie was deeply distressed by her inability to carry to term. When she and her husband decided to adopt, she wanted to feed the baby herself. Ellie is a tiny person, maybe 5” tall and weighing around 95 lbs. I believe she wears a teenager’s training bra for support, if she wears anything at all. Exploding another myth, size does not matter!

When Andrea, a beautiful little girl, came along, Ellie and Peter joyously adopted her. She was fully nursed until Ellie once again became pregnant. Again, the pregnancy was difficult but this time successful. With the birth of Kurt, Ellie became a copious producer and nursed him fully for several years as he is a highly allergic child. Both children thrived on their mother’s product. Andrea is now 12yrs old, athletic and constantly on the move. Kurt is 11 years old. He is an accomplished cellist, first seated in junior orchestras and placing high — 4th in competition with 13 - 18 year olds. 35 - 40 competing. Although he has his mother’s small build he is sturdy, capable of handling the stresses of competition and demands of constant practice.

Both mothers have a strong sense of satisfaction with their success and perhaps redemption from their unhappy days. I believe these stories are no longer so

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unusual. I certainly hope so. Thanks NMC for your continuing growth and development.

Pat Bertapelle

#1 As a new Mom with a three year old, I was completing my required fifth year of college (for a California Teaching Credential) and found that the freshman English class at my alma mater did not qualify at my post grad university, so I found myself in class with 18 year olds having to write beginning essays. When I was asked by the professor why I was there (obviously older and being pregnant with my second child, I was sort of “standing out”), I replied that it was required, but that I felt it was overkill as I was already published, and therefore proven as a writer. He asked to see my published article and I brought in the NMC pamphlet, “The Working Nursing Mother” that I had researched and written. He was stymied at the content (actually embarrassed), but accepted my achievement and let me skip the class with a B grade. Class dismissed!

#2 A baby was born at Stanford Hospital that had multiple issues, one of which was that he could not digest anything but pure, unpasteurized mother’s milk. Milk bank milk was not acceptable. So I became part of a group of ladies that expressed milk (in those days we HAND expressed), filled pre-sterilized bottles supplied by Stanford, and sent it off with couriers that brought the much needed milk to the little fellow.

#3 I worked with a contact in my town that had a very preemie baby. She was a motivated Mom, but understandably nervous and worried. The sessions were very successful and many years later, our children (my son was the same age) found they were in the same class in high school. I reacquainted with the mom and she reminded me that years ago I had “saved her” from a failed nursing experience (her words). Our children ended up going to the same university and we all became quite chummy keeping our friendship to this day where we are sharing our children’s experiences with their own children. Grand parenting ROCKS!!

#4 I became very interested in the process of nursing an adopted baby, and worked with one of our doctor partners to learn all I could about it. With the help of a new-fangled item, the Lact-aid, I assisted a new adoptive mom reap the benefits of breast feeding

her baby. It was very gratifying to see my research being put to the test. Mom never got a full complement of milk, but had all the fabulous benefits of the nurturing part of nursing, and the baby thrived.

#5 I was a Medela rep housing some of the first electric breast pumps at the time. They were as big as a portable sewing machine, but very efficient for those who could afford the rental. One day as my sons were playing in the front yard, one of them came in to announce that the TV lady was at the front door. Sure enough, our local anchor newscaster was at my door to rent an electric breast pump. Celebrity meets necessity!

#6 Every year our NMC board and counselors retreated to a wonderful large home on the beach at Pajaro Dunes. It was at one of these retreats that we drafted the “chapter” designation as we were growing too large geographically to manage. So we “worked” all morning and most of the afternoons writing proposals, orientation manuals, procedural data, and generally starting a volunteer “business”. But it was not all work. In the afternoons there were volleyball games on the beach, hiking the dunes, biking the back roads, and quiet reading without children interrupting. We pot lucked breakfast/lunch and dinners, and in the evenings played a roaring game of charades. It was invigorating to get away from it all with fabulous women and recharge our batteries!!

I could go on and on. NMC was a HUGE part of my life for many years and although my memory does not remember it all, flashbacks do occur! Thank you for the lovely conference. It was gratifying to see the organization still thriving and doing the good work that is so very important.

Carole Peterson I do not have just one memory of NMC, I have many. I remember being welcomed by a circle of breastfeeding mothers, even though I was a working mother. I remember being welcomed and encouraged by so many to reach out to speak to other mothers and professionals.

I remember deep and lasting friendships that kept me sane during those early days of motherhood when you are just not sure you will survive. I remember having someone I could call on those days when adult conversation was an absolute necessity.

I remember people who were just like me feeling the passion to help other breastfeeding mothers in the early 1980s when there were very few of us. Those same women helped relieve the guilt when you tried to help but sometimes you “missed the mark” and just didn’t listen well enough. Those friends were there for me to talk to and relate to and grow.

Those friends were there to offer me a haven and a soft place to fall. They built my self-confidence as I learned the art of public speaking and preparing presentations. They encouraged me and offered sage advice. Those wise women of breastfeeding, all of them. We maneuvered organizational and business relationships which some of us had never considered.

My children are now parents. I love watching them parent. And I reflect on how fortunate I was to have those arms and ears and the love of the other mothers of Nursing Mothers Counsel.

Bonnie Regalia hosted four of us from the new Fort Wayne Chapter at her house. We made artichokes of course, for dinner. Everyone tried to help clean up after dinner. One of the Indiana people did not know you do not put artichokes in the garbage disposal. What a mess! Bonnie was definitely grace under fire that night!

On that same trip I took all of the Fort Wayne people to a tour of the coast where I lived before moving to Indiana. Our rental car died in Butano State Park with 2 pregnant ladies in it. Rental car people could not find us for a long time, long before the days of GPS. Then after they did pick us up, they dropped us at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero. Everyone bought an Ollalaberry pie. You should have seen us loading them on the plane as our carry on! Fun times!

I thank, love and miss Pat (Bertapelle), Bonnie (Regalia), Anne (Garrett) and Melanie Ashworth—now Reitzel). You are all my heroes.

Melanie Reitzel (formerly Ashworth) Melanie shared how Dr. Jim Cisco, who was on NMC's Medical Advisory Board for a very long time, was in the intermediate intensive care nursery (Stanford) when a nurse said a baby was not breastfeeding well. Melanie said tongue tie was probably the problem. He asked Melanie what tongue tie had to do with breastfeeding and after she explained, he said it made perfect sense. He said he would pay closer attention next time. He was

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one of three pediatricians who would clip frenulums.

Nancie Brown Nancy started the S.F. Chapter with Anne Garrett. Her favorite event was the annual picnic where all the families could meet each other. It was held in Marin.

Harriet Palmer Member 1964 into the 1990s

Harriet was a nurse and midwife She said she thought she already knew quite a bit about breastfeeding, but she learned a lot from the NMC training. She attended our 50th and 60th events, and many former members speak highly of Harriet. She led the way for NMC to provide lactation support in the hospitals, worked on the manual, the milk collection for the Stanford babies, and more.

Nancy Kautz Nancy shared her experiences in a letter written in 1995 for NMC’s 40

th Anniversary:

I knew the awful anxiety and depression when you felt you had failed. Sometimes we would counsel a new mother over the phone and sometimes drive over to her house to talk with her, watching her nurse her baby and giving some practical tips.

Nursing in public was banned in those days. We felt very brave to discreetly nurse a baby among friends. Usually we retired to a bedroom if we were at a party. I was either pregnant or nursing for almost 7 years. It was a treat to finally wear blouses that didn't button or zip down the front. Young mothers have more clothing options these days.

There were several other factors in those early days. It was soon after World War II and there was a baby boom. Feminism was almost unheard of. We were expected to have spotless homes (no yellowing floor wax), tasteful, nutritious meals (still heavy in fat), contented, quiet babies, and happy, well-behaved children. Oh yes, wives were to be cheerful, well-groomed and sexy at all times!

I was lucky to live in a brand-new housing development in Palo Alto with many other young mothers. We were home all of the time, so there were babysitting co-ops and informal get-togethers to drink coffee or wine. Some of us did volunteer work in the community, but few thought about returning to careers right away. I was lucky to have my masters in psychiatric social work under my belt before marriage, so I could work one

evening a week as a therapist at Family Service Association in Palo Alto.

I have also been fortunate as a grandmother to see 3 of my grandchildren being born at the Birth Place in Menlo Park. Three of my daughter-in-laws had a total of 9 natural births, so the tradition goes on.

Some of us were competitive in having children spaced closely together, as if it were some sort of contest. A good friend and neighbor of mine, Marian Singleton, had a child every two years for a total of three boys and three girls. (She then went on for a PhD in English literature and became a professor at Dartmouth.

Thank you for this opportunity to poke through some of my old files and remember "the olden days". I feel lucky to have landed in the Bay Area when I did so I could participate in some of the pioneering work on promoting natural childbirth and breastfeeding and changing the antiquated restrictions and expectations in hospitals. The growth of feminism was a little too late for me, but I see the improvement in the marriages of my 4 sons and their whole generation. However, let's try to keep computers and 'virtual reality' out of it! Probably a losing battle."

"The one problem in that class (which Rennie tried to minimize) was a kind of competition to have a perfect natural childbirth. This led to some unfortunate incidents where a woman facing medical complications would try to refuse a necessary Caesarian or some other procedure. "Doctors were suspicious for the most part and wanted to give us a 'caudal' or at least some breathing device 'to take the edge off'". I was lucky to be a Kaiser patient and two of my children were born in the brand-new Kaiser hospital on Geary St. in SF, with a sliding drawer in each private room for "rooming-in". If we wanted to sleep, we just shoved the drawer back to the nurses' side. Of course, we would have a totally strange doctor in the delivery room. One was a young resident who had never seen a natural childbirth, so I coached him through it. Then I insisted that I wanted to nurse the baby right after the cord was cut. He said it was impossible because the sucking reflex wouldn't be there. Will, Brian (a husky 10 pounder), sowed them he was ready! Later they reported that he was the only baby who slept quietly through the night.

Dede (Merilee) Reeder Member1972-1994

Dede contacted Audrey Kalman in September, 2011 and then responded to Lori.

I served in many positions during that time, including president. I actually oriented with the founder- (was it Harriet Palmer? I cant' remember if that was her name). She was a great lady.

I live in Denver now, and there was a NMC group here many years ago, but I don't think that they are active here anymore. I am a doula in Denver now, and so enjoying this work. It would be fun to hear anything about NMC. I enjoyed the work that we did there so much.

It is so nice to hear that NMC is still up and running. I was so invested in it for so many years that I would be sad to hear that it had gone the wayside. I had the "warm" line in my house for many years and did so much phone counseling that my children can recite most of the advice from rote—even my son and some of his friends. I loved the work—and am now a Mother-baby nurse so am able to do a lot of the hospital teaching. It's different than the teaching that happens after they go home though! My best to all of the great bf counselors in Northern Calif.!

It would be great if you shared my email (merileereeder@gmail.com) I am very happy that I have reconnected with NMC. I have wondered about the status of the group many, many times over the years, as I have wandered about. 18 months after I moved to Colorado, our family moved to Switzerland. I had the privilege of working with many mothers-to-be there. I worked with a chapter of the Childbirth Trust from England. We basically worked with mothers who spoke English better than German, so we had Asian women, American, British Commonwealth (including Australia and NZ), several European women who did not speak German and lots of African women. It was a wonderfully diverse group, I learned so much from them. I sometimes wished that I could have tapped into some of the great wisdom that I had left behind with NMC though. So many kudos to you and the great women who are making NMC still be vibrant in the wake of IBCLC. Good for you guys.

November, 2011: How nice of you to send the newsletter along. I wasn't around for many of the founders, but as I said I certainly remember Harriet Palmer. Maybe had I stayed around I

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would have been one of the 20 yr. members. I joined in Spring of 1974 (when my firstborn was 6 months) and moved to Denver in Summer of 1995. I think that I had the "warm" line in our home for at least 10 years. The recording on the dedicated line for the warm line would "bleed" into our other phone line so that the other person on phone could hear it— my kids still joke about having to explain this to their friends. I always tell my kids that they belong to COLIC— Children of Lactation Counselors, because they all know way too much about breastfeeding (which has contributed to 12 breastfed grandchildren)

It was fun to see Pat Bertapelle and Barbara Harker's pictures (Lori shared 50th newsletter). I remember working with them. Also Theresa Asquith—who was fabulous with the milk bank. Dr Creevy delivered my first baby- in his Birkenstocks- which was quite scandalous back then. I also remember some of the doctors being very wary of us. I think that they just didn't like the idea of "lay" people helping with the babies. It was an uphill climb to get some credibility. But, I did go to the Kaiser Santa Clara Hospital once a week to help the moms there. They loved us actually.

So many things have changed from having to rely on the "bicycle pumps" to the craziness about timing the feedings at the beginning. But even though some of our advice was probably not great—I know that many, many mothers were helped by us. I estimated one year that I had counseled 1000 mothers on the phone line and did many home visits

I probably should have sat the IBCLC exam in those early years, but just didn't have the time, money or the heart to do it. I was still raising my six children. But I am now happily working as a MBU nurse, I am a CLC and do lots and lots of breastfeeding at work and also with friends and family. I am also supporting bf with my doula clients. Life is good.

The newsletter was lovely, I enjoyed it very much. I never thought that I might reconnect with the NMC group. I am glad that I contacted Audrey. I found them as I was looking at websites to get ideas for our website. (I really liked theirs BTW) I am also glad that you are still going. So much time and energy and love has been given through NMC. If you see any of the older members please greet them for me.

Take care, Merilee Reeder

Sandi Tordoff Counselor from 1979 to the present—coming up on 37 years!

Jeannie Rettke was her advisor. Jeannie had helped Sandi when she was having a hard time with nursing her first son, Adam, dealing with multiple bouts of mastitis. Sandi felt that if she was able to get help that easily, she wanted to be able to do the same thing for other moms. Pat Bertapelle, Bonnie Regalia, Melanie Ashworth (now Reitzel) and Cassie McGraw were members she got to know well after she joined. She volunteered doing NMC Kaiser rounds in Redwood City. She did many home visits—a lot more than we do now. She remembers going on a home visit with Suzanne Ramirez and another counselor. They could not get the baby to latch and nurse. The mom pumped for one year. When Sandi did day care, many of her kids came from moms she had helped.

Sandi has stayed involved because she feels so rewarded when she helps moms give the gift of breastfeeding to their babies. She feels she's doing a great service to be able to help moms.

Lori McBride Counselor from 1987 to present—almost 29 years

In June, 2015, I received a call from a mom asking what NMC does. Her two daughters, Delilah (5 1/2) and Zoey (3) were going to have a lemonade stand during the summer and wanted to donate money raised to causes important to them. Delilah (DJ) wanted her money to go to Project Hope at the Peninsula Humane Society. Zoey wanted her money to go to "helping all babies get nursies". Gina had recently weaned Zoey and shared how precious breastfeeding had been for Zoey. I shared information about NMC's services and Gina said it would be a good match for their fundraiser. It really warmed my heart to talk with her. I was so excited to share the news with Board members. Later that day Gina e-mailed me:

It was so great to connect with you this afternoon! Nursing Mothers Counsel is the perfect recipient of our summertime lemonade stand profits! I am so excited to fulfill Zoey's wish in "helping all babies get nursies".

Gina's husband built a beautiful lemonade stand out of recycled pallets, and Gina sent photos and updates. On the first day (June 6), they had raised $14. Gina sent an adorable video of Zoey and DJ thanking their customers and sharing where the money was going: https://youtu.be/DXxRUF-UC5c

On June 22, Gina wrote: "We held our second lemonade stand yesterday! We are thrilled to report that Zoey has already earned $25 just for your organization! We've got so many more weekends ahead of us, that we're feeling ever excited about the potential of our donation to you :-) "

The summer flew by and I learned the last lemonade stand would be Aug. 15 and shortly after that the family would be moving out of state. I told Gina how much I admired what she and her husband were doing in teaching their girls what it means to give back to causes that are important to them and how special it was. Gina responded: 'I am so thrilled that our lemonade stand has brought some sunshine into your life. I am delighted to know that our girls have broken the monotony of negativity, and has given you some measure of joy."

On August 15 on my way to teach a NMC breastfeeding class at Redwood Shores Library, I stopped by their lemonade stand to check it out and say hi. It was a really hot day, perfect for a glass of lemonade. They had a beautiful pitcher with sliced lemons in it. They poured me a glass would not let me pay for it because I was going to "help babies get nursies". I watched the girls take the money from other customers and put it in their Fisher Price cash register (many of us have memories of our kids using this!). I was so happy that I was able to stop by. My husband, Dennis, arrived right when I was leaving, and he really enjoyed his experience with the family.

Gina then wrote me asking if could bring her girls to drop off Zoey's donation, that “it would mean a LOT to her to get to hand you an envelope in person." They would be moving before our next chapter board meeting, so I thought the perfect venue would be at our San Mateo Co. Breastfeeding Task Force meeting on Aug. 20 because we were celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. The girls were very excited, but also a little shy and intimidated with being in a room full of strangers. Our Task Force members were very welcoming. Zoey presented me with an envelope with $120 in it for NMC!

That night Gina wrote me something very special I want to share with all of you: Thank you for such a wonderful experience this morning. It was so gracious of you to invite us to your Task Force meeting, and to allow Zoey to present you with her earned summer donation. As a mama, it was a beautiful moment of watching my daughters understand the impact that their awareness and generosity can have on others. I believe

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that you, and the Nursing Mothers Counsel, will always serve as the foundation of where my girls’ passions were recognized. There is something about Zoey, at even 3 1/2, that realizes the gift in breastfeeding. Like I've said, with her nursing until she was 3 – It became a really beautiful, bonding and nurturing part of our relationship. One we both cherish, and one that has long influenced Zoey's ideal of what babies "need." Again, thank you for your interest in our girls' summer mission, and for your support and encouragement along the way. I hope our $120 dollars can help some "babies get nursies."

I will never forget this heartwarming experience from the moment Gina called me until Zoey proudly handed me the money for NMC to "help all babies get nursies,”

Delilah (5 1/2) and Zoey (3)

Zoey presenting Lori/NMC $120 at San Mateo Co. Breastfeeding Task Force Meeting, World

Breastfeeding Week

Nursing Mothers Counsel Celebrates 60

Years of Service

By Margaret Lavin, San Mateo County Times; 3-22-2016

Nursing Mothers Counsel (NMC), a non-profit organization whose

volunteers provide free breastfeeding education and support to

new mothers, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.

It all began with Rennie Wilsnak, the driving force behind NMC.

While teaching prenatal exercise classes at the Palo Alto

Recreation Department, Wilsnak began discussing breastfeeding

and had nursing moms come to her class to demonstrate..

She was soon inundated with women who wanted breastfeeding

help, so in 1955 she recruited three graduates of her prenatal

class to take phone calls and do home visits. The newly formed

NMC did research on topics that eventually became a training

manual.

Their counselors are highly trained volunteers. To fulfill the

requirements of a fully trained counselor, women must have

breastfed for at least 6 months, attended 21 hours of

breastfeeding education, attended an NMC breastfeeding class,

shadowed with an International Board Certified Lactation

Consultant in a hospital or clinical setting, and passed a

comprehensive exam. New counselors also serve a provisional

period for six to twelve months under the guidance of an

experienced member.

The NMC has supported a mothers' decision to breastfeed and

considers working and nursing compatible. Their mission has

remained the same for 60 years.

For more information, go to http://www.nursingmothers.org

NURSING MOTHERS COUNSEL

Little Sister's Pick; All Babies Get Nursies

A portion of all proceeds will be hand-delivered to NMC.

Just $25 can provide a monthly breast pump discount to low income families.

EXPRESSIONS | SPECIAL 60TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE – SPRING 2016 20

Blossom Birth Mother’s Day Achievement Award

On Sunday, April 17, 2016 NMC was

honored to be the recipient of Blossom’s

Mother’s Day Achievement Award presented

at the Blossom Birth and Family Fair at

Mitchell Park in Palo Alto. We were thrilled to

have Laurie Vavuris with us to be recognized

as one of the founding members and to be

part of the ceremony. Laurie’s two

daughters, Ruth and Katy were there, along

with NMC members Gretchen Kindberg,

Stephanie Dole, Nancy Hill, and me. How

very special to be recognized in Palo Alto

where it all began!

The certificate says:

This award honors an individual or

organization in our community that provides

supreme quality with a local touch, respecting

the needs of mothers while providing them

support for their pregnancy, birth and

parenting choices.

Thank you to NMC for your 60 years of

dedicated support to new and expectant

families to support their breastfeeding goals.

Laurie Vavuris

Laurie Vavuris

Lori McBride, Laurie Vavuris, Stephanie Dole, Gretchen Kindberg

NURSING MOTHERS COUNSEL, INC.

P.O. Box 50063

Palo Alto, CA 94303

www.nursingmothers.org

A Non-Profit Organization

Tax ID: 23-7209167