Barbara and others:  I whole heartedly (breastedly) agree that cup feeding
cannot be taught over the phone.  It is hard enough to teach in person.  I
am a big advocate of home visits.  Besides having the client/patient in
their own environment and not having to schlep a baby out, you get to
observe much more.  I frequently will see bottles and pacifiers around even
though the parents say no artificial nipples were given.  Or my personal
favorite of "No, I'm not taking any antibiotics or narcotics" even though
there's an empty Rx bottle sitting on the end table.  Don't get me wrong.
I don't go snooping, but I do keep my eyes WIDE open.  There are lots of
subtle body language cues that can only be seen and not heard.  My
co-Leader and I were on a home visit one day and witnessed a dad throwing a
checkbook at the new mom.  Another visit I had nightmares about had rats
running back and forth in the kitchen.  Many others have illuminated just
how stressed out mom is from waiting on her guests/husband.  Even as a
LLLL, I much prefer a home visit.  It is worth the drive, gets much better
results, and often saves time in the long run. : )

: )Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC  email: [log in to unmask]   : )
: )HSR & Health Educational Consultant        voice/fax: 541 753 7340    : )
: )LLLLLLLLLLLLL**CHANGE THE WORLD, NURTURE A CHILD!**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL : )