Judy Knopf - you raise important issues. Where things are the worst, it's hard to imagine where to begin to make things better for breastfeeding. 

I know I posted about theoretical solutions that seem impossible in your setting. To quote an old musical "You got to have a dream, cause if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?"

When things seem the bleakest, look backward to see how far we've come in the 11 1/2 years of this movement. In early 1985, IBLCE did not yet exist. Neither did ILCA. Nobody got paid for breastfeeding help. Decent pumps were few and far between, and not nearly as good as what's available now. There was no such thing as a baby-friendly hospital. I taught in a hospital where one doc had a 60% cesarean rate, and another still used scopalomine. Dad's were not allowed in for Cesareans. We didn't know about the imporance of positioning and latch, and our understanding of "supply and demand" did not consider the role of the baby.  And so on.

As we head 1997, my Wise Woman thought of the day is:  Lift up your eyes, and see (or imagine) new horizons for breastfeeding work. Believe in what CAN be. Think big, and take little steps that head in the right direction for moms and babies. Working together, we CAN and ARE making a difference, for ourselves and the mothers and babies we serve. 

Warmly to all,
Linda Smith, Dayton OH