I agree that we must help mothers achieve their goals even when they seem unusual to us and in cases where a mother is about to give up I always tell her that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Maybe she doesn't think she can nurse anymore today but she may want to put the baby to the breast tomorrow and why does she have to make a final decision today. When a mom is struggling I suggest she take it one feeding at a time and do what she can do for that feeding; seems to take the pressure off. Had a phn tell one of my clients she had to make a decision one way or the other. When I asked her how she felt about this she said it seemed so final and she didn't want to give up bottles or breast. She ended up doing both for over two years. Many of my moms have had a rest from bf for a few days (mostly moms with sore nipples ) but then gone on to have a joyful experience. Ruth Bacon IBCLC in cold snowy Ontario