Subject: "No info" info

Edy,
I was both surprised and excited to see your post criticizing LACTNET.  First
surprised, because since joining this list several months ago, I have
accumulated a wealth of info, references and ideas to better serve my clients
and my LLL contacts.  I have a wonderful database that I add to daily, and
which colleagues who are not on-line are now calling me to access.

Second, I was excited to hear you are a WIC counselor , working with many
teen moms.  I have worked with a number myself, although they tend to come
from affluent backgrounds and have some degree of family support (financial
if nothing else).  I have to say that of all the moms i have worked with,
some of these teens have blown me away with their committment to BF & doing
the best for their babies.  One of my moms, who was on WIC, dragged her pump
to school on the bus, back on the bus to work at the local fast food
restaraunt & home again (12 hours each day).  She was quite resouceful in
getting a counseling room at her school to pump in, and BF her baby for 18
months w/o using any ABM.

 IMHO, the first step is giving these moms the respect they deserve as the
MOTHERS of their babies - it's too late to change that by the time we see
them.  No point in treating them like children now.  They have the same
rights to make decisions based on good information as to what is best for
their families.

What I see as the real value of LACTNET, is that we have a melting pot of
researchers, professors, MDs, nurses, hospital & private practice LCs, lay
counselors, etc.  Where else can all these groups of people have access to
each others information, expertise, experiences and resources?  If I have a
problem with a client, I can get a handful of posts within a day or two to
help me solve that problem.  We work in a small world &, yes, sometimes we
need to blow off steam with each other or bounce ideas off our peers.  This
is also the only place I know of where  I can get support for BF my 5 yr. old
(and no I don't think everyone should BF that long).  Here we don't have to
apologize for being committed to helping moms BF, for being proud of the
impact BF has had on our own families or for believing in "good mothering
through BF".

I hope you will stick around and give LACTNET a chance.  We welcome rabble
rousers and women who speak their minds.

Lovingly Lacnetted,
Ro K. Andersen, IBCLC, LLLL
Winchester, Massachusetts, USA