An Ames group is working to make sure breast-feeding information is flowing between area moms.

La Leche League was established in Ames 30 years ago to give breast-feeding mothers a supportive network, to answer questions and to provide an empathetic atmosphere for women.

Mary Kay Vogel is a leader and one of the founders of the Ames chapter of La Leche League.

The league meets the first Monday of every month for pregnant women and mothers nursing young babies, and meets the fourth Thursday of every month for mothers with toddlers, Vogel said.

The meetings are mostly guided by discussions of mothers with questions or mothers sharing personal experiences. Vogel started attending meetings when she lived in Kansas City.

“No one in my family breast-feeds, and when questions came up, I didn’t have anyone to turn to and wanted to talk to a mom instead of a doctor,” Vogel said.

Ames resident Jennifer Hart began attending the meetings when she was pregnant with her first child in 1999.

“I knew I wanted to breast-feed my baby so that she could get all of the benefits breast milk has,” Hart said.

The leaders have both knowledge and experience and can help find solutions to any problem new mothers may have, Hart said.

Hart said another benefit is moms who are helpful and supportive, especially because they’ve been there before.

“It is nice to know you are not the only one out there having trouble,” Hart said.

Through the league, women are provided with a way to talk with other mothers about motherhood.

“Mothers are each other’s support,” Vogel said. “It eases the transition of becoming a mother when someone else has been there.”

To become a leader, a woman must meet certain requirements, such as having nursed a baby for at least a year.

Suzanne Van Der Valk has been a Le Leche League leader for 25 years.

“Many moms don’t have the opportunity to learn from other women as they are growing up, and they may not have supportive people around them when they become mothers — [the league] supplies some of that need,” she said.

Hart said during meetings, it seemed natural and right for mothers to bring and nurse their babies.

“It gave me so much more confidence that I could do it, too,” she said.

A lending library is offered at meetings so mothers can check out books about topics such as pregnancy, breast-feeding and nutrition, Vogel said.

Marilyn Haag, a nurse at Homeward, a home health agency of Mary Greeley Medical Center, visits mothers and babies at their homes after they leave the hospital and spends time asking breast-feeding mothers questions to make sure they understand the process.

“If mothers have more questions, need more experience or [need] a network of support, I refer them to [La Leche League],” Haag said. “Breast-feeding is a learned experience and it is very difficult when there [are] not any rules.”

La Leche League International has existed since 1956, but the name was developed after the group started.

“La Leche” — Spanish for “the milk” — was chosen in part because the words “breast-feeding” and “pregnant” were not considered acceptable public terms in the 1950s.

La Leche League has a professional advisory board to maintain an accurate information exchange between leaders and mothers, Van Der Valk said.

Iowa is one of the first states to pass a law exempting breast-feeding mothers not regularly employed outside the home from being called for jury duty.

In 1999, Iowa passed a law stating a mother can breast-feed her child in any public place.