The community that Jane built

It began simply enough - a quick sketch as part of my 29 faces challenge

She was feeling a little overwhelmed, so a friend popped in to see her and the new baby

It was good to talk things over with an experienced mother

And then another friend popped in with a casserole for dinner and did a load of laundry while her own baby slept in the meh tai. She was from the ABA breastfeeding support group and remembered how challenging those first days were.

When another friend read on Facebook that visitors were welcome this afternoon, she popped around too. They had met at the ABA breastfeeding class a few months ago and were both excited to be having their babies so close together. She watched, fascinated, as the baby did exactly what they had seen on the video in class.

Mum came in after putting away the groceries she had bought and was happy to see her daughter surrounded by friends.

When the new father finished stacking the dishwasher, he came back to watch the baby start to feed again. He couldn't get over his amazement that the baby knew exactly where the nipple was and how to move her body to get to it.

Even the cat was there to offer his support, though nobody seemed to notice ;)

The End!

This past few days, my Facebook Friends have played along with this drawing and - interestingly - all their suggested characters had already crossed my mind to include! Working as I do, with new mothers learning to breastfeed, I wish this idyllic scene was real for them all, but sadly I know it is rare for many. It takes more than a pencil to create a supportive, nurturing environment around new mothers, but we should still aim to make it happen.

http://www.facebook.com/yvette.odowd