In reading Diane H.'s comments, I was struck by how awkward it can be to
talk not only about sexual abuse but about some other the other abuses
women may be subjected to such as domestic violence, emotional abuse, and
so on.  In my experience, it can be counterproductive sometimes to ask
someone if they were sexually abused outright because admitting such a
thing also implies that the mother agrees with the assessment of abuse,
and this may be more than she is up to when first confronting this issue
(this is also especially true when dealing with women who may be
experiencing domestic violence).  Sometimes I have found it helpful to
say something like, "I've noticed that sometimes mothers have trouble
_____ (dealing with giving birth, breastfeeding, etc) when they have been
touched in ways that have made them uncomfortable in the past.  Do you
think this could be true for you?"  I may go on to mention that it is not
unusual for certain sorts of memories to surface during the childbearing
year.  This gives the woman a way to talk about and think about what has
happened without necessarily naming it as abuse immediately (which can be
VERY threatening sometimes).

On the AAP resolutions, how disappointing that they should not resolve to
actively promote breastfeeding. At least the first resolution was a
positive start.

Happy holidays (Christmas and Hannakuh) to all you fellow Lactnetters!

Ione Sims