Hi, Rhonda-
Hi, Rhonda -

Welcome to lactnet!

You didn't ask for any advice as a learning peer counselor, but here's mine
for free: never forget the things you're hearing women say now about how
they feel about breastfeeding. I think that something that contributes to
this whole "zealotry" issue is that once you become known as a BF "expert" -
get the initials after your name, or get known as a peer counselor - people
talk to you differently. They get defensive about their choices, whatever
they were/are, or they say what they think you want to hear, or they become
afraid to say anything for fear we'll jump all over them. So what you hear
women say starts to change, and it becomes in some ways less representative
of what "regular people" think, and at that point it's easy to get out of
touch with "regular people" on this matter, and then the gulf starts to
form, with the zealots on one side and the "regular people" on the other.

That schism is fake, and it's not necessary, and it wastes a whole lot of
energy on all sides. So pay attention to what people are telling you now,
and don't ever forget it, because it's in some sense more accurate.

And you're certainly right about lots of women "wanting to want to
breastfeed"!! You can reassure them that they don't need to start out
(before the baby even comes) all zealous and sure that bfing will be a
blissful experience. Just help them to keep their minds open to it, share
some of the pleasurable and non-worrying things you know about it, and
remind them that, when the time comes and they want to give it a try, you'll
help them get things off to a good start.

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC IThaca NY