I think a good point was raised by the original poster, that leaders (and
all of us) are human, and by their nature have varying levels of
communication skills and comfort with the issues relating to breastfeeding.
On a personal note, I attended a meeting long ago where a young mom from the
inner city came to a meeting and at the introduction, shared with the group
her feelings regarding the "sexuality" of breastfeeding (a common concern).
The leader, visibly uncomfortable with the woman and her statements,
completely disregarded them, and began the meeting. Needless to say, the mom
was left with unanswered concerns, and never returned. Was the leader "bad"?
No, probably just inexperienced handling questions of that type. Another
time, I had several questions regarding my return to work and my lack of
success with pumping (something that was critical to me!). The only
suggestion offered to me was to try hand expression over a large bowl,
something I felt was ridiculous and completely unrealistic. Again, I don't
think the leaders were "bad", just inexperienced with working with moms who
worked outside the home. I would not take these or other statements as a
personal attack on the quality of an organization, because once individuals
are trained and certified, what they do (within certain limits) is up to
them. Nobody's perfect, and there's always room for growth.
Cyndi Koehler, RN BSN CBE
> I have taken your
> statement as a personal attack on the quality of LLL Leaders and feel the
> need to respond.

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