Compass Communications

Lactation Station

By Ashley D. Hoseclaw, MSN, RN, IBCLC, Perinatal Educator,
Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital

Madison Silmon regularly attends our Latch with Love meetings. She is a first-time mother to a beautiful daughter, Vivian who goes by Ivy. As a member of our group she is enjoying her breastfeeding journey with Ivy. As soon as you meet Madison, it’s so easy be at ease around her. She is friendly and welcoming to other ladies and nurses in our group. She is genuine and open regarding her past struggles with addiction. Madison also sees Latch with Love as an additional support system in this new phase of her life. She says she is “happy to be sober, because I am able to breastfeed without worrying about passing anything harmful to my baby.” 

Madison reports being exposed to alcohol and drugs at the age of 18. Once she went away to college, her substance use/abuse intensified and by the time she was 23, she was drinking throughout her waking hours. If she wasn’t drinking, she was sleeping. She was struggling with her mental health, having been in and out of behavioral health units for inpatient treatment. She had in her words “lost everything, my home, my friends, anything positive in my life.” She was using to essentially self-medicate, not realizing that the drug and alcohol abuse was the root of the problem. 

The first time Madison got sober was following an inpatient stay on the behavioral health unit. Her mother took her to rehab as soon as she was discharged. She states she didn’t have a desire to make any changes in her life, but she cooperated and went. She stayed clean for four months, when she found herself falling back into old patterns with old friends. That relapse lasted for two months, and again she lost what she had so recently rebuilt. She felt like there was no way to get out of this pattern. She knew she had to commit to a complete lifestyle change to be successful. She has now been sober since April 28, 2023.

According to Madison, she knew that she had to change everything in order to stay clean — people, places, and things. She was humble enough to acknowledge that she didn’t feel strong enough to make those changes without help. She chose to check into residential treatment to be immersed in a supportive community for her first month of sobriety. Once that milestone was achieved, she chose to continue with long-term treatment, and she worked to reestablish herself in accordance with her new way of living. She describes this period as one where her eyes were opened spiritually. She says she has an amazing support system and is very selective on who she allows in her life. 

Madison says, “I will always be in recovery and identify as an alcoholic and addict because I know I’m powerless against drugs and alcohol. I will never be able to drink or use any substance without it taking over my life again.” She is even cautious with commonly used over-the-counter medications.

When she discovered she was pregnant with Ivy, she was six months sober. Not planning to become a mom at that time, she had been using birth control. She says this further shows how her life is on God’s timeline and not hers. She anticipated that once she became a mother, her desire to drink and use drugs would disappear, but it did not. Motherhood does remind her that she has someone else to live for and that it is a daily choice to stay clean knowing “…my addiction will kill me if I go back.”

Now Madison has built a life for herself that has set her up for success. She continues to participate in therapy and even works as a peer support specialist through Lake Cumberland Recovery. She serves the ladies in residential treatment by leading group sessions that educate the clients on addiction and strategies to overcome it. She also assists with intake assessments for both men and women entering the facility. Madison says “I get to show up to the place that loved me back to life and do the same thing for so many men and women. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

When asked what she would say to a woman that finds herself in the throes of addiction, Madison wants them to know they are not defined by their disease. They are more than their past experiences and it is never too late for redemption. Treatment and therapy can help people overcome the guilt and shame of the past instead of continuing to turn to drugs and alcohol. What a beautiful example of a fulfilling life, on the other side of addiction. Thank you, Madison for your transparency and willingness to share your story to give hope to others. We are so proud of you.

Please watch the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Facebook page for upcoming Latch with Love support group meeting dates and locations. Register for prenatal classes at  Lakecumberlandhospital.com.