Well I certainly appreciate all the interesting responses to my post  
of angst :-)
I agree that it is probably primarily an instinct that leads us to  
breastfeed and
that the health benefits are a bonus.  Maybe the true reason why  
rates are
down is because so many women are so out of touch with their emotions,
feelings, instincts etc.  They are not supported in the US society  
(I'm not
sure of others) and women have gone so far astray.  It was certainly  
instinct
(and laziness) that lead me to breastfeed my firstborn, when I held  
him I knew
I HAD to do it.  I shouldn't have breastfed, I was a career driven  
nut, all ambition
and not at all into my feelings....so I thought.  So I cried for a  
year after having
my son while I figured out my priorities with the help of LLL and the  
wonderful
women role models I met through this organization.
Now in my career as an LC in different venues, the hospital being  
most recent
but WIC being my "home" base..I've tried to figure out how to get  
women to
breastfeed.  I always thought the line between weather I breastfed or  
not was
very thin indeed and I don't know why I crossed over to the  
breastfeeding side.
I thank god every day I did but I'd love to know the secret to get  
others to.  I'm
fairly successful in finding something that appeals to women to get  
them to try
I guess as I've taken rates from 14% at my WIC office in 1996 to 51%  
currently.
Our intiation rate has gone from like 40% to 81% so I'm pretty proud  
of that.  I'm
also not silly enough to think it's all me (and my PC's) but also  
trends and local
promotion that affects the rates.  My promotion/education has always  
focused on
the health benefits (the women have indicated through surveys they  
enjoy learning
all these things). I have not, however, ever thought of coming
from the perspective of instinct and I appreciate the opportunity to  
explore this idea.


Ilene Fabisch, IBCLC, LLLL, WIC BF Co
Listmom wicbfnet and MLCANET
Brockton, MA



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