Nikki--it is always hard to come up with the response we wish we could 
have when faced with the unexpected. Also, because those of us who support 
mothers and babies are compassionate by nature, we don't want to kick a 
down dog by telling the mother the truth because the truth hurts 
sometimes. It is heartbreaking that most of the medical profession does 
see breast(milk) and formula as interchangeable and the baby's needs as 
intrusive to the mother's recovery. To have spoken up about her choice 
being poor at that point would have painted you as the villian, "how could 
that militant LC insist this poor suffering mother continue to drain 
herself by breastfeeding?" So many times those of us in b/f advocacy are 
portrayed as militant and inflexible when we try to help a mother see the 
long-term implications of her choice to wean to formula. Don't blame 
yourself for wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. We've all 
had that farewell conversation in one form or another, and only later 
think of things that could have been said. But would they have really 
changed the mother's mind? Despite saying that they know it is better for 
baby, they don't want to b/f and are looking for professional sanction to 
wean. "The dr. said it was okay to switch to formula", or "the nurse told 
me I had to give the bottles". 

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