Jameca Benjamin was just 17 years old when her premature baby was born. At 1 pound, 16 ounces, her baby girl needed all the attention she could get. She also needed breast milk. In a ground breaking new program, the Rush Mother's Milk Club at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, Ill., helped Jameca Benjamin breastfeed her tiny baby.

"I don't think that breastfeeding my baby made the difference of life or death for her as it does for some babies," says Benjamin. "But it definitely made her healthier and made me a more confident mother, which is very important, especially for teen mothers."

Benjamin also credits the Mother's Milk Club with helping her be an assertive mother. "I was the first person in my family to breastfeed my child," says Benjamin. "I ran into some disapproval, but when I shared with them how important it was, they understood. Now they preach it everywhere!"

The Rush Mother's Milk Club made such an impact on Benjamin that she decided to become a peer counselor and help others breastfeed their low birth-weight babies. Her goal now is to go to nursing school and work in a neonatal unit.

These are the kind of stories Paula Meier likes to hear. Meier, the director for clinical research and lactation for Rush Presbyterian's Special Care Nursery, is proud of their Mother's Milk Club and travels all across the United States teaching others how to implement similar programs in their area.

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