A Bit About Me; Claudia Morse-Karzen

May the Lord bless you and your loved ones, 

and may you always seek His truth!

I thank the Lord for:

- My husband

-Our 4 grown children and their spouses

-Our 5 precious grandchildren

-For having my children at a time when

La Leche League taught effective, natural

breastfeeding techniques, so that I could 

nurse my 4 children until they weaned

themselves

-For the gift of every baby, 

for every baby is God's way of saying that 

He wants the world to continue

-For backpacks: 

the kind I wore with my babies in them, 

the kind I wear with my grandchildren in them, and 

now the one I wear as I hike the Appalachian Trail

I thank the Lord for the gift of breastfeeding,

may all mothers learn how to use it effectively.

How I Fit into the Breastfeeding History of Humankind

In the beginning of Humankind, all babies were breastfed by 

their mothers. If something happened to the birth mother, 

a wet nurse breastfed the baby.

Women learned how to nurse and parent, mother-to-mother,

from their moms, aunts, or sisters. 

No products were used.

In addition to my own part in breastfeeding history, I have 

included information you may find helpful, to understand

the competing 'forces' that have affected women’s

ability to effectively nurse their babies.

See 'The Breastfeeding Movement, a Sourcebook', published

by WABA - World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, 2003.

1903 - At the International Congress of Obstetricians in 

Paris, France, the congress asserted that pediatricians 

and clinics were encouraging artificial feeding at the 

expense of breastfeeding.

1920s - Articles about the increased mortality and 

cognitive compromise associated with artificial feeding began to 

appear in medical literature.

1927 - both of my parents were born, both were breastfed

1939 - In a speech titled, 'Milk and Murder', pioneer in infant 

feeding issues, Dr. Cicely Williams states, 

'If your lives were as embittered as mine, by seeing 

day after day this massacre of the innocents by unsuitable feeding, 

then I believe you would feel as I do that misguided propaganda

on infant feeding should be punished as the most criminal

form of sedition ....'

1930s-1940s - Many infants were not breastfed, many women 

went to work outside the home during times of war, 

formula recipes were developed.

1952 - My older brother was born. 

My mom had been nursed and she wanted to nurse her babies, 

but she was not given correct information on nursing. 

My brother was crying and not nursing effectively,

Mom was in pain. 

So, Mom and Dad resorted to making their own formula 

for my 3 brothers and myself.

It contained water, evaporated milk, and corn syrup.

None of my 3 brothers nor I were nursed, due to the lack

 of effective information.

Mom was one of the many, many women whose efforts to 

breastfeed were thwarted by not being taught effective,

natural techniques.

1954 - I was born, was not nursed

1956 - La Leche League (LLL) was founded and successfully helped 

moms get back to nursing their babies using natural techniques.

The 7 LLL Founding Mothers, while nursing their own babies, 

pooled their breastfeeding experiences and knowledge 

to form La Leche League. 

Their efforts to help teach natural breastfeeding and attachment 

style parenting, mother-to-mother, FOR FREE, became a 

well-respected international organization. 

They shared effective, natural, breastfeeding information,

that brought moms back to breastfeeding.

The Founding Mothers, lovingly and tactfully, 

protected natural breastfeeding information.

Their information had been time-tested and 

found effective.

They would not allow LLL to veer from it.

1973 - Momentum increased for more effective lactation 

education for health care providers, with the first 

LLLI Physicians Seminar on Breastfeeding.

1970s - Reports and books come out about the hazards of using

infant formulas in third-world countries.

Calls were made for an action campaign to halt the unethical

commercial promotion of baby formulas.

1974 - Nestle sues the Third World Action Group for libel.

July 4, 1977 - INFACT (now called Corporate Accountability)

initiates and launches a boycott of Nestle products in the US 

because Nestle refuses to stop its dangerous marketing practices.

It was the first boycott to force a major corporation to heed

the concerns of the global public and commit to major

changes in its practice.

Nestle, the world's largest food corporation at the time,

was aggressively marketing breastmilk substitutes (formula)

to the global south, as the most nutritious choice for their

babies. 

This despite the reality that they were pushing their product 

on people who had limited fuel and tools to sterilize bottles, 

for refrigeration, and for clean water to mix the formula.

The hygienic precautions necessary for safe bottle feeding

are almost impossible in a household where water is a

precious commodity that must be carried from a pond 

or stream.

All this added up to hundreds of thousands of babies dying.

May 21, 1981 - The World Health Assembly (WHA) 

overwhelmingly adopts the International Code on Marketing

of Breastmilk Substitutes.

The United States was the only country to vote against it at

the 34th World Health Assembly.

1983 - My first child was born!!!

We benefitted from the La Leche League information,

and I nursed all 4 of my children until they chose to wean.

I was honored to join the mothers who had through history, 

and were now around the world, breastfeeding their babies.

I heard about the Nestle boycott and grieved for the families

who suffered from the loss of breastfeeding.

1980s - The boycott against Nestles intensified and spread 

to many countries.

I participated and still participate in this boycott, by not buying

products made by Nestles.

1990s - In 2014 a feature film called 'Tigers', 

by Danis Tanovic, was made about the true story of a 

Pakistani Salesman, Ayan, who worked for Nestles in

the 1990s. 

Ayan took on the multinational healthcare corporation

when he realized that they knowingly marketed a baby

formula that was responsible for the death of hundreds

of babies a day.

1985 - Many 'highlights' in lactation happened this year.

ILCA - International Lactation Consultant Association

was formed

IBLCE - International Board of Lactation Consultant

Examiners began operations

Wellstart - San Diego lactation program starts

IBFAN - the International Baby Food Action Network,

launched regular lactation management

training workshops in Africa

January 1985 - And, I became a La Leche League Leader!

Over the years I helped thousands of moms to nurse at 

monthly LLL meetings, on the phone, and through 

home visits. 

I also led enrichment meetings for moms that covered 

a variety of parenting topics.

I led LLL conference sessions.

I trained women to become LLL Leaders.

I spoke to local high schoolers about the importance of

breastfeeding. 

I was the 'head' LLL Leader for our chapter for many years,

this included organizing our group of Leaders for

enrichment meetings and fellowship.

This is where my volunteer hours went.

And while I am listing what I did, please understand 

that most LLL Leaders were doing the same things.

These LLL Leaders also grieved when mothers suffered

because of lactation misinformation around the world

and they did what they could to help.

This was a mother-to-mother network of help and

parenting information.

And this mother-to-mother network empowered women.

In sharing effective natural breastfeeding with a mother,

that information was used with her future babies,

and that information was shared with other moms, her

friends, family, her daughters.

It was like throwing a stone into a pond, and watching the 

ripples it made. 

One mom helps another, helps another, helps another. For FREE.

In a sense, as LLL Leaders, we gladly

'worked ourselves out of our jobs' with each mother.

When moms understand natural breastfeeding, they use it for

future babies. They don't have problems because they have

been through the learning curve and can focus on parenting

all their children. 

They don't have to pay for lactation consultant

services, the moms 'have got this'.

I was confident in the information I taught because as a 

nursing mom, I had used these techniques and found

them effective.

To ensure a standard of care, the mothers who became

LLL Leaders had to have nursed their baby using 

natural breastfeeding techniques for a year or more.

Living the life of an at-home breastfeeding mom

teaches unique lessons, with all its challenges and

joys. 

As LLL Leaders, we saw moms at our monthly meetings

through their pregnancies, seasons of lactation and weaning, 

often with subsequent babies. 

We had long-term relationships with many moms.

The monthly LLL support meeting system was extremely helpful

to moms, who could learn mother-to-mother, as their child 

grew through the different stages.

They saw other moms 'mothering through breastfeeding',

they saw how it affected the children.

 And the monthly meeting system was also like a window that 

allowed us to view the ongoing effects of what we were teaching 

the moms. 

Lactation consultants (LC) do not have this same opportunity to 

view the effects of what they teach the moms. 

Lactation Consultants are paid.

Moms frequently share with us that since the information

they received from their lactation consultant was not fixing 

their problems, and that it was expensive, they would just 

stop going to the lactation consultant. 

The moms said that they called us (LLL) as a last-ditch effort 

for help.

Which makes me think that the lactation consultant 

is not seeing the effects on the mom of what she is

teaching her, if the mom stops seeing her.

Does the LC just think that all is well and that is why the 

mom isn't calling her back?

Or is the LC not connecting the dots?

Doesn't she realize that the problems the moms are having 

are caused by the information the LC is teaching them?

With the free LLL monthly meeting system, moms were

given the opportunity to come to meetings before their baby 

was in their arms.

They learned about the advantages of breastfeeding,

how to breastfeed, how to overcome difficulties, nutrition, 

and weaning.

They saw other moms nursing babies of all ages, effectively.

If problems came up, we saw them at our meetings, and we helped

moms to correct any issues. 

Moms also learned from each other at the monthly

meetings as they shared how they had overcome

their challenges and we learned much from the moms.

Moms were comfortable calling us between meetings.

We saw the effects of our teachings for the moms.

Natural breastfeeding techniques helped moms to 

nurse for as long as mom and baby desired.

We saw the problems that the Cross Cradle Hold caused

and that when moms changed to the Cradle Hold and 

got off products, moms healed, and babies thrived.

1991 - The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was

launched by WHO / UNICEF.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) was

formed.

April 1998 - At the LLL Conference session on 'Managing

Sore Nipples', a lactation consultant said to use the 

Cross Cradle Hold from birth for 2-3 weeks. 

She gave another LC credit for developing the Cross Cradle Hold.

She said that the Cross Cradle Hold will change your

(lactation consultant) practice.

1990s - Lactation Misinformation flooded LLL and

all lactation literature. We worked, and continue to work,  

with many moms suffering because of the poor information.

Moms who came to our monthly LLL meetings, were saying;

-that their arms were not strong enough to breastfeed, 

-their baby did not want to latch, 

-they had nipple soreness, wrist, arm, neck, and back pain, 

an insufficient milk supply, 

-that baby was not gaining weight properly, etc.

Moms were calling for help and coming to our meetings because 

they were taught to use the Cross Cradle Hold and were 

having many problems, as is explained in detail in this website. 

Lactation literature had been changed; 

now it taught moms to use the Cross Cradle Hold 

and to NOT use the Cradle Hold position at birth.

This sabotaged many women’s efforts to nurse.

There's a short window of opportunity, about 6 weeks, for 

a newborn to learn how to latch-on and breastfeed effectively.

Introducing artificial nipples, like bottles and nipple shields, 

in the first 6 weeks or using poor positions, like the 

Cross Cradle Hold, interferes with the learning process.

To avoid problems, it is critical that moms use the Cradle Hold 

(or Lap Nursing Hold) from birth and to hold off all 

artificial nipples in the first 6 weeks.

There is no guarantee that a baby will go back to the breast

if he is given a bottle or nipple shield in this early learning time.

1990s - 2010 - we tried to get LLL to go back to 

teaching natural breastfeeding techniques, they refused, 

as did the lactation consultants.

My co-La Leche League Leaders and I spent many years

helping the suffering moms, collecting their stories,

and sharing our information with LLL administrators. 

My co-Leaders and I spoke, emailed, and pleaded with:

The Head Editor of La Leche League, in 1996. 

When asked how the Cross Cradle Hold got into the 

LLL Leaders manual and the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

book, as it consistently caused severe problems,

she admitted that;

 LLL no longer had 3 LLL Leaders test and verify the

information published in LLL books.

We spoke with the co-authors of the Breastfeeding Answer Book,

which is the LLL Leaders manual and of the 

Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book, which is the 

LLL manual for mothers.

These women had been LLL Leaders and had been able 

to nurse their babies for as long as they desired, using

natural breastfeeding techniques learned through LLL.

They became lactation consultants and taught positions

and techniques that created problems.

As authors for La Leche League, their misinformation had

a far reach.

And because these women lived close to me, our 

territories did overlap. 

I did witness the effects of their work as LCs, including 

the time that they taught the Cross Cradle Hold to 

the daughter-in-law of a friend, 

which resulted in many problems, 

and when they taught the 'cling wrap technique', to a 

red-headed friend resulting in extremely sore nipples.

They dismissed my information.

October 2000 - I sent a very long letter explaining how 

the Cross Cradle Hold was causing serious breastfeeding

problems and pleaded that LLL return to natural breastfeeding

techniques. 

I sent this letter to all the LLL Founding Mothers and to 

all members on the LLL Board of Directors.

We spoke with the Head Editor of the Illinois LLL Spice Shelf 

magazine who had printed a 3-page article in Spice Shelf, 

written by an LC (who was previously a LLL Leader), defending 

the Cross Cradle Hold, in 2007.

This same LC removed the poster I had at an LLL Conference, 

that explained the harm that the Cross Cradle Hold was doing.

We spoke with an LC who worked in a doctor's office. 

She taught the moms to use the Cross Cradle Hold and

said she was 'too busy to do any follow up calls'.

2001 - JMH, after being taught the Cross Cradle Hold and

suffering problems from this hold and from postpartum 

depression, took her life.

My question will always be, 'If breastfeeding had worked out

for her, would she have felt that she could care for her baby, 

that her baby loved and needed HER, and would she

still be here?'

Mothers and babies should never be used as guinea pigs, 

with which to experiment with different breastfeeding positions and techniques.

The consequences are far too serious.

How many other cases of moms with breastfeeding 

problems have led to or have deepened postpartum depression? 

2003 - The LLL reprint 'Positioning Your Baby at the Breast' 

was changed to promote use of the Cross Cradle Hold at birth, 

and it discouraged moms from using the Cradle Hold at birth.

In 2002, twice I submitted my manuscript

'Observations of the Effects that the New Approaches to 

Positioning and Latch-On Had On Ninety Mothers; 

Including Not Teaching the Cradle Hold as the Primary Hold',

to the Head Editor of the 'Journal of Human Lactation', 

M. Jane Heinig. 

JHL is the ILCA journal, for lactation consultants.

She said that she knew what an important message my paper

contained but that my article did not follow her publication rules 

regarding study design and institutional review.

We kept focusing on helping moms and babies.

At our monthly meetings we helped new moms change 

from the Cross Cradle Hold to the effective Cradle Hold. 

Their faces would show instant relief, they would say that the 

Cradle Hold was much more comfortable,

their babies would latch better, and the moms would say,

I can do this!

We spent 3 years dialoguing with the La Leche League complaint

department, trying to get La Leche League to go back to teaching 

natural breastfeeding techniques, but LLL refused.

Please understand, that as LLL Leaders, we were used to helping 

moms having problems because of misinformation from hospitals

or doctors. 

But now, La Leche League, which had been the only source

of natural breastfeeding information, was teaching misinformation.

The moms didn't have anywhere left to turn.

When LLL announced that they were going to release an updated

version of the LLL Leaders Handbook (Breastfeeding Answer Book),

which is a reference manual for LLL Leaders to use when 

helping moms, I sent pages of corrections to help them correct the poor information in the 1997 edition.

LLL ignored my information.

The LLL Leaders handbook was again published with misinformation.

As was the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and the 

La Leche League website.

The LLL website had been set up to share effective breastfeeding 

information for free.

It helped moms connect with local LLL Leaders, so they 

could get more information, all for free.

The website was changed to reflect misinformation and

it often referred mothers looking for natural breastfeeding 

help, to lactation consultants, who charged money.

2010 - I developed the Cradlehold.com website, to get 

correct natural breastfeeding information directly 

to moms in need. 

This is the same information that LLL had taught me

in the 1980s.

There is nothing new about breastfeeding.

Natural breastfeeding cannot be 'improved'.

Through the years, some moms have been able to find this 

website and I share it with the moms I help.

Moms continue to suffer from lactation misinformation.

I was an eyewitness to this sad era in breastfeeding history.

I saw that as the LLL Founders got older and less involved 

with the running of La Leche League, lactation consultants 

took over the organization.

Even though natural breastfeeding, product-free breastfeeding, 

helped perpetuate the human species since the beginning

of Humankind, lactation personnel changed the natural

breastfeeding information in all literature.

They don't tell moms that their problems are caused by this 

lactation misinformation.

They don't tell the moms that it is the Cross Cradle Hold position 

that is causing their problems.

Then they sell their lactation services and products.

And whether the lactation personnel realize this, or that they are

just teaching what they have been taught themselves,

the result is that many women wean prematurely because of 

iatrogenic problems caused by lactation industry misinformation.

Iatrogenesis means:

   - Any unintended adverse patient outcome because of a health 

care intervention.

   -Breastfeeding misinformation leads to premature weaning,

which is an 'adverse patient outcome'.

And, you don't make money when breastfeeding works out.

La Leche League grew by the mothers who had effectively

breastfed their babies with information from LLL, and 

who then became LLL Leaders.

For years, LLL Leaders were discouraged from becoming 

lactation consultants, because it was a conflict of interest.

LLL's purpose was to share effective breastfeeding information

mother-to-mother for free.

Lactation consultants make money when mothers have problems.

I repeat, you don't make money when breastfeeding works out.

Some women sought to use their acquired breastfeeding skills 

in a job.

They dismissed the LLL guidelines.

They became lactation consultants, charging money for

their help. They started promoting special breastfeeding pillows, 

Medela breast pumps, and Lansinoh.

Then came the promotion of lactation industry misinformation, 

the suffering it continues to cause, and the cover up of the 

suffering.

It took me a very long time to acknowledge that the organization 

that I had trusted, whose founders were my heroes, whose

founders were women that I respected and modeled my mothering

after, had changed so drastically, that the current administrators 

of this organization, of my La Leche League, had 

turned their backs on women and babies, for money...

So, after years of trying to get LLL to correct their misinformation,

I developed www.CradleHold.com in 2010, to share

natural breastfeeding information directly with moms.

Note: The 2025, updated website is now called

www.BreastfeedingSense.com

2012   In 2012, I went through Ovarian Cancer, which ended 

my time as an LLL Leader. 

Every day is a blessing!

Also in 2012, my oldest daughter married and in 2014, 

our grandchildren started coming!

I continue to help women learn natural breastfeeding, 

women who are friends with my grown-up kids, or 

daughters of my friends. 

Often, they will then refer their friends to me.

When the moms ask me what I charge, I ask them 

to 'pay' by sharing this effective lactation information 

with anyone they know who is pregnant, has young children, or 

who has had problems while breastfeeding. 

Many (most?) moms who are trying to breastfeed today, are 

suffering from problems caused by lactation misinformation,

and this website will share answers not found elsewhere.

I believe that breastfeeding is a precious gift from God, 

given to us freely, and that mother-to-mother sharing 

of this information should also be FREE.

The mother-to-mother model is the ideal way to share 

effective breastfeeding techniques with as many moms 

as possible, so that many (all?) children, mothers, families, 

and our planet, will benefit from the gift of breastfeeding.

This type of sharing is the model, from the beginning of 

Humankind and from the original LLL Founding Mothers,

that helped millions of women to breastfeed effectively.

Sadly, the current model of sharing breastfeeding information

includes paying lactation consultants for misinformation

that causes problems. Then more lactation services are sold,

products are sold, and babies usually are weaned earlier than 

the mother planned...

2024 - Lactation industry misinformation continues,

the monetization of breastfeeding continues, and 

the politicization of breastfeeding continues.

May God help us....

In 2023 - I connected with Alin Baho, WIX Website Designer,

to update Cradlehold.Com, and I thank the Lord for

Alin's help! He is truly a Godsend!

As of 2025, the updated website is now called:

www.BreastfeedingSense.com

Today, mother-to-mother sharing includes using internet technology.

I pray that moms will be able to learn and share natural breastfeeding techniques with this website.

As of 2025, there is politically, an emphasis on helping

people to get healthy again.

Breastfeeding is the foundation of optimal health for children.

Breastfeeding is what our Creator gave us to nourish

and nurture children, for optimal health through each child’s

lifetime.

May all people commit to helping children to be as healthy 

as possible, by promoting the precious gift of 

natural breastfeeding.

Let us pray;

-That all mothers will learn and be able to use natural breastfeeding

techniques, for the optimal health and well-being of their children.

-That we are never silent about the importance of 

natural breastfeeding for babies, mothers, families, and the Earth.

-For all mothers for which 'breastfeeding did not work out', 

to understand how misinformation can cause problems

that lead to early weaning.

And that they learn natural breastfeeding techniques and

can use them effectively with their next baby.

-That lactation consultants, LLL Leaders, and all lactation

industry personnel will understand the harm they have done

to mothers and babies, by teaching misinformation and 

selling products instead of natural breastfeeding information.

-That lactation personnel will put the health and well-being of

babies and mothers ahead of their desire for money.

-That they will correct all lactation literature by teaching 

what the 7 LLL Founding Mothers taught.

And if they will not help mothers and babies in this way, 

to get a job in another field.

-For healing between mothers who have breastfed and

mothers who did not breastfeed for very long or at all.

Unfortunately, there have been negative dialogues

with people saying things like:

How can you not breastfeed? It is a much healthier choice!

Then there is some name calling, which is not helpful.

For understanding that many moms wanted to naturally

breastfeed, that they did not want to pump and bottle feed 

for a year or to wean so early.

But misinformation sabotaged their efforts.

Let us not divide moms into groups of who did breastfeed

and who did not. 

Dear Lord,   

Please help all moms to be given effective

breastfeeding information and the support to use it. Amen.

Do unto others, as you would have them

do unto you...

       Matthew 7 : 12