I just wanted to let you know that the support I received to breastfeed after my daughter was born meant the world to me. Although I am not a LC, (yet :-) ) my personal experience with breastfeeding has inspired me to work towards helping other women breastfeed their babies. I joined this list after doing some research and I plan to work towards becoming a LC. My pediatrician's wife breastfed all three of their sons. When I told him in the hospital that I was planning to breastfeed, he was supportive but let me know that breastfeeding is not necessarily easy. He was very real and I appreciated the truth of his words. I had a c-section so I was in the hospital for 3 days. Two of those days I had a nurse who wasn't overly positive about breastfeeding. She kept saying that she could take my daughter to the nursery to "top her off" with formula. I didn't allow her to do so even though I was upset that I had difficulty with her latching on. After I was discharged I met with a LC who helped us latch on and was extremely supportive. She was wonderfully caring and compassionate. I could go on and on with my story but I will stop here. I guess after reading this thread I would like to say that although you may have some mother's who may stop breastfeeding early, don't discount the many mothers you may have been that extra bit of support that was needed for them to continue on. My hat is off to all of you who have chosen to assist mothers who desire to breastfeed. You are inspirational to me! I was lucky to have the support of my husband, some family, my midwife, my pediatrician, and my local LLL group. I had a great deal of difficulty after my daughter's birth with latch and thrush. I also endured 3 bouts of mastitis in the first 4 months of breastfeeding. I hope I do not get in trouble for posting this as it is just my personal experience. I am not a professional, but I aspire to become one! Thank you for being there and doing the wonderful work that you do. You DO make a difference! Warmly, Kate Suttles, mom of Kaia, 6 months old *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html