Women often give birth and breastfeed their babies without family members living close by. There is a saying that "mothers were not meant to do this alone" and another saying that "it takes a village to raise a child." MilkWorks takes both of these concepts very seriously.

In many cultures, grandparents and other family members play a dominant role when a new baby is born. They help with household chores, make meals and model parenting behavior: soothing a crying baby or rocking a baby to sleep. It's all so basic and seems so simple. Unless you are a new parent doing it for the first time in a sleep deprived state of mind.

MilkWorks has the pleasure of working with many mothers who are new to Lincoln and away from their families. We get to play a special role in their lives because they don't have family support. Luckily, we are very accessible. No appointment is needed to walk in our front door, sit down on our sofa and feel at home.

I recently worked with a family from the Czech Republic who were here for a year at UNL. It was a joy to be part of their lives. Hana and Stepan and baby Marie have now returned to their families across the ocean. Thanks to technology, Hana can wake up today, sit down at her computer, re-live a bit of her daughter's early days by reading this newsletter, and share MilkWorks with her family and friends at home. That's a pretty big village, but one that we are very proud of.