This week I went to visit one of the clinics "Proyecto Lacta" serves here in San Juan. I was meeting with nurses for the first time to offer my services in terms of breastfeeding education and training (for them) and support (for moms - we offer a free clinic). At first, the reaction to my visit was "who are you and who do you think you are - I know all there is to know." But we quickly got past this and they told me of their own breastfeeding experiences. One, a Puerto Rican nurse whose mother bf 11 children reports "We were all three years apart - this was her birth control method. My sister would come home from school yelling 'sit down, mom' and the neighbors all knew she was home for some breastfeeding. I will never forget the closeness I felt with mom during those nursing times. " - To think we have gone from this (she's in her late 50's I'd say) to 4% Breastfeeding exclusively at one month! The other, from Peru says her mom breastfed 12 children - and they would daily stand in line for their few minutes of nursing - what do you call when you nurse 4 or 5 children instead of the 2 that "tandem nursing" referrs to? She says as they were so many, you only had quiet time with mom when you had your turn - except that often the next child in line would be pushing and shoving and saying "it's my turn, now." She suddenly remembered the soft "mommy smell" she hadn't remembered in many years... We hope to meet again soon and plan a breastfeeding education program to be held at their site. They voiced very real concerns, though, about encouraging breastfeeding among their population which is very heavy into drug use. (Thirteen year old girl's birthday present is going to a motel and trying to get pregnant by the nearby drug dealer.) One of the dealers is the source (how can I call this "father") of 4 pregnancies they have right now in the clinic. ...And please don't think this only happens in Puerto Rico - I worked in a clinic in a midwester city for 5 years - the same thing happened there. Jeanette Panchula, BSW, LLLL, IBCLC, RN [log in to unmask] Puerto Rico