Online support is as good, and as bad, as any other type of support.  
Certainly, there are sites that hand out out of date info, and 
unmoderated sites that don't challenge such info.

There are also high quality, moderated forums, where many IBCLCs, LLLLs 
etc, without mentioning that's what they are, give out high quality 
advice and support.  As well as unqualified mothers with years of wisdom 
and experience, and all the latest research at their fingertips.  All of 
it being internally moderated to a very high standard.

A vast army of lactnet's lurkers are such Mums.  All working online, all 
reading here to keep up with the latest. (Several of then just squealed 
when they read that!)

Websites such as Kellymom, the LLL sites etc, the Australian 
Breastfeeding Association, give high quality, up to date evidence based 
research and excellent resources for a plethora of breastfeeding issues.

Is every Mum best served by a one-to-one person contact?  Usually, but 
some Mums don't get on well with people.  Mostly, they're on the web as 
they don't have other options.  Sometimes they're on the web as they are 
ignoring the one-to-one personal advice they've gotten.  Usually, that's 
because the one-to-one personal advice is so poor - give rice cereal, 
add formula, restrict feeds, wean to take anti-biotics, give up.  
Sometimes, it's because they're ignoring high quality one-to-one as it 
doesn't fit in with their world view, and off to the internet they go, 
to find the 'right' advice.  They usually ignore the internet advice too.

Most problems are easily solved, and support given, via the internet.  
The problem is when the baby and mother need to see someone, to watch 
and observe, to find out what is happening, or to plough through the 
tiredness and worry to find out what the actual question/problem is.  
Good online support will urge mothers in this position to phone a help 
line, and contact a person if at all possible.

The power of the internet, and online support, is it empowers woman to 
take on board their own treatment and to challenge bad or lazy advice.  
Printing out a research document and presenting it to your health care 
professional, is very empowering.  As is hearing the stories of a 
thousand other mothers who've fought the same fight, and won.  It's the 
internet that will win out this battle against formula domination - 
because it's the internet that empowers women to breastfeed, in spite of 
their overwhelming culture of resistance.  It's the internet that allows 
a woman in the middle of the Outback, to talk to one in the middle of 
London - both feeling utterly alone in their breastfeeding struggles.  
The internet is there at 3am, when the Hour of the Wolf has descended, 
and you are going to give up, as You Can't Take It Any More.  A dozen 
other mothers shouting "Yes You Can!" is very empowering.  The internet 
connects us all, and that collective nature, we have strength.

And a voice.

In an ideal world, yes, all women should have the option of one to one 
personal contact as support.  Not all have, and not all can take it up 
even if they do.  I know we've strayed off Rachel's original point, 
which was just an extra note to not using Lactnet as a personal resource.

Conflicting and confusing advice can happen with two Drs in the same 
department, standing in the same room.  Likewise, I've supported a Mum 
who had been told by a breast cancer unit, to wean... for milk filled 
cysts.  The breast cancer unit had never seen milk filled cysts, and it 
wasn't till she took the evidence she printed off back into the unit, 
and talked it through with them, that they even took her seriously.  The 
highly qualified ultrasound technician had looked to the lumps, and 
found no evidence of difference densities - as milk would settle into 
cream and lower fat milk, as it does in a glass... ergo, it could not be 
milk in the cyst...

I kid you not. 

Just like the very serious MRI manager who told me I couldn't have an 
MRI scan on my ankle, as it would curdle my breastmilk and make it 
thick.  And the company had been telling this to breastfeeding women for 
over three years, including some with serious need of a scan.  Some of 
whom had weaned, for the scan.  The internet provided me with the 
resources to change the company policy.

We need good people and good resources.  They can be found in person.  
They can be found online.  :-)  Likewise, poorly skilled people, and 
poor resources, can be found in both.

But we also need women who listen, self-assess and take on board 
appropriate information and make appropriate decisions.  Women who don't 
do any of this, can be found both online, and in person!  :-)

But a warm and skilled pair of hands, and eyes present, to see and 
support if needs be, and check a mouth shape... invaluable!  Every Mum 
should have such a pair of such hands to turn too!  :-)  The internet 
had to make do, when no such hands are anywhere to be found. 

Morgan Gallagher


Karleen Gribble wrote:
> I don't know that I agree altogether....you can get as poor a quality 
> information and support from a health professional in a face-to-face 
> situation as can be found online...many health professionals hate the 
> Internet because it give power to the patient. I recall being told 
> about a study which found that women with breast cancer were more 
> likely to obtain accurate, up to date information about treatment 
> options on the net than they obtained from their specialist.
>

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