If you are a mom about to have your first baby, you may be nervous about breastfeeding. Don’t be! Yes, it can be a challenge but there are tips that can help when you have difficulty, and you can always ask for support from a lactation consultant or even other moms.
And you can turn to Our Lady of La Leche for help!
Never heard of her? Devotion to Mary as the patroness of nursing and expectant moms goes back to the early Church during the times of the Roman Empire. Images of the Blessed Virgin nursing the baby Jesus have even been found in the catacombs.
Ever since that time, women have turned to “Our Lady of the Milk” to intercede for them when they worry about safely delivering their babies or nursing them.
The oldest Marian shrine in America
And here’s another interesting fact: The oldest Catholic community in the United States, St. Augustine, Florida, is also home to the oldest Marian shrine in America – dedicated to Our Lady of La Leche!
Spanish settlers brought the devotion to our shores in the 17th century, before the United States existed as a nation.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is a popular pilgrimage site for moms and women hoping to become pregnant.
Watch the VIDEO above to see images of the shrine and to pray with me for Our Lady of La Leche’s intercession. And please share it with any new or expectant moms you know.
Our Lady of La Leche, pray for mothers everywhere!
