I too worry that the LC profession tends more and more to promote the
breastfeeding product at the expense of the breastfeeding process.

When pump companies offer free tote bags at major LC conferences, only a few
of us seem to see them as marketing and refuse them.  What would the
reaction be if LCs were offered this visible endorsement of LLL, an
organization that epitomizes Step Ten, as opposed to endorsing a product
that substitutes for a baby?  My guess is there'd be more than a few who'd
be reluctant to carry them.  But I don't think that reluctance would say
anything good about us as supporters of the breastfeeding relationship.

If we're not happy with our local LLL group (or NMAA or any other
breastfeeding support group), *we need to join it* and gently support and
nurture its leaders, just as they strive to provide gentle support and
nurturing to mothers.  Mother-to-mother groups provide things no one-on-one
LC can possibly offer, just as LCs provide services no mother-led group is
expected to provide.  The two, working together, weave an amazing safety net
for mothers.  One without the other is weft without warp, and mothers and
babies will inevitably fall through.

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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