I have adopted breastfeeding education and advocacy as my passion in life
due to the enormous difference between my experience with my second child,
who is still nursing, and my first, who was nursed for less than a month
and then weaned, dr's orders, when I got mastitis.  It astounds me how very
differently I am parenting now than when I was bottle feeding.  I remember
very little closeness between me and my now 6-year-old, Daniel; in
contrast, my 20-month-old Aaron's favorite way to play is to cuddle with
me, nurse a bit, and then blow raspberries on my breast. And then laugh to
beat the band!

Sometimes I mourn not having that with Daniel, but circumstances in my life
were different then, too, and all may not have been rosy. He's a wonderful,
loving, sensitive child nonetheless.  But knowing what I do now, I can't in
any kind of good conscience sit by and let women make uninformed choices
about their babies if there is any way at all I can make a difference in
that choice.

Some days I wonder why I do it; yesterday I asked the mother of a
ten-month-old if he was breastfed and she replied, "Yes, for a month, and
then I couldn't take it any more. It was just awful."  I went from elated
to deflated in a second, and I was speechless. What could I have said? She
had made her choice. Then I went home and read some more inspiring stories
on Lactnet, and I felt better. Sometimes I feel out of my league, not being
a nurse, an LC, or even a 4L, but I am doing what I can now and that's the
best I can do until I realize my dream of become an OB nurse. Someday.
Thanks for listening,

Carry on!

Nancy Kramer
Certified Peer Counselor (LLLI)
Port Angeles, WA