In a message dated 98-11-11 16:25:59 EST, you write:

<< Any suggestions on how I can tactfully tell these people (who formula fed
 their kids, BTW) that just because she won't take the bottle doesn't mean
 she's not hungry?   >>

The best thing I think is to bring the discussion away from the question of BF
per se to the larger matter of doing what's good for one's own child, and tell
them, "You know I think everybody gets to know their own kid.   I'm glad I've
found a way that works for me and my child."   After all it is true that she
would probably ultimately take the bottle if she got hungry enough; you just
choose not to have that kind of one-sided negotiation with your child.    You
don't tell them how to interact with their child; let them mind their own
beeswax about yours.

For what it's worth, when I went back to work when my older daughter was about
the age that your Christina is now, she never loved the bottle much but
ultimately took it specifically for hunger, not for comfort -- she would take
an ounce at a time all day, just to keep the edge off until her Ima got home
with the real stuff.   Again, it was what worked for us.

And there's a cup option, too, if she does get unavoidably hungry before you
get home...

Feeling great empathy in NYC,

Elisheva Urbas