I like to tell moms that Mother Nature intended babies to be exclusively breastfed thru the 1st year (with introduction of solid foods in addition to breast milk at 6 months), no pumping, no bottles, cups, spoons, syringes, etc. WE invented these things, not Mother Nature. The IDEAL is breast only. We all strive for the IDEAL in other aspects of our lives, so why not with breastfeeding? Unfortunately, due to modern society, many mothers are not able to IDEALLY breastfeed thru that 1st year. Hence, the introduction of breastfeeding paraphenalia, which should only be used if and when a mother is not able to exclusively put her baby to her breast. *Mothers should breastfeed as exclusively as possible, within their particular lifestyle.* *Babies should receive as much mother's milk as possible, given it's mother's particular lifestyle.* This is why no one else can tell a mother when to introduce a bottle (or cup, spoon, syringe, etc.) or when and how much to pump her breasts. Only she knows her lifestyle and how much she can exclusively breastfeed. When a mother is offered encouragement/support in this manner, her anxiety and guilt is lessened when she realizes she is nursing as IDEALLY (exclusively) as SHE can within her lifestyle. Pam Hirsch, BSN,RN,IBCLC Clinical Lead, Lactation Services Advocate Good Shpeherd Hospital Barrington, IL USA *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome