I'm sure back in the early days of Lactnet, there was a long discussion
about using the analogy of learning to ride a bike, or drive a stick-shift
to the early days of breastfeeding.  It's difficult in the beginning, until
you get the hang of it, and then it becomes effortless and rewarding, and
you never forget how.

Don't forget the importance of educating mothers (and fathers and other
support or lack-of-support people in the mother's life) that human children
are designed to be breastfed for anywhere from 2.5 years to 7.0 years.

Only if you think 12 months is the maximum duration does 6 weeks seem like
"good enough".  If you understand that 12 months is supposed to be the
minimum duration, then 6 weeks doesn't seem like much toward your goal.  If
everyone talked about how 12 months is the minimum, and 2.5 years is the
goal to shoot for, then people might not give up so easily.

It would be like having someone train for a marathon, when the marathon is
only 1 mile.  If they make a half a mile, they may think they've "done good"
and stop.  If they understood that you have to run 26 miles to make a
marathon, and they only made a half a mile, then they understand that they
didn't do very good at all.  Plus, they begin to understand that in order to
run a marathon it takes education, practice, training, dedication, and
willingness to put up with some discomfort sometimes.  In fact, you could
use the marathon analogy for breastfeeding in general -- at the beginning to
need to prepare yourself, before you start, and when you begin you may find
it difficult at first, but soon enough you hit your stride and things go
fine for mile after mile, and eventually you hit the wall (nursing strike,
mastitis, etc.) but if you persevere, then you get to the stage where you
have that "runner's high" -- and when you finish the marathon, it's a great
feeling, and you are exhausted and worn out, but happy and proud as well.

OK, maybe that's a lame analogy . . .

Kathy Dettwyler, who has flipped many a burger and broasted many a chicken
(IN A RESTAURANT), and even used to run hurdles with the boys' track team in
practice in high school, but who has never run a marathon.

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