I've been catching up on digests for a few days and felt I needed to
respond to the church nursing issue. Please encourage mothers to nurse their
babies in church  (also the mall, restaurant, and other public places)!!! My
daughter is watching! I feel frustrated that after three wonderful sons, our
family ended with my daughter who will never have the benefit of seeing her
mother go through a pregnancy or breastfeed.  We have chosen a church which
is baby friendly because ,even though we had older kids, we felt that
attitude was important in how our children would manage as parents.
       I also try to mention this opinion  to mothers in our congregation who
may not hear enough support and encouragment. One sunday my twelve year old
son was helping in the nursery and one of the women who sings often in our
church took breaks between services to nurse her toddler.  He was so excited
to tell me, emphasing the fact that even though she was so important to the
congregation, she took time to visit her daughter and nurse her. Later that
week, I happened to see this woman and mentioned that it was my son who had
been helping in the nursery and that he had noticed her nursing. Immediately
she became very embarassed - she was under the impression that I was upset
that she had nursed in front of my son! It took several minutes of
explanation before she relaxed and understood he(and his mother)was impressed
only in the most positive way.
        I was interested in the post about the chance of tandem nursing
creating more of a problem with oversupply- the only child of mine that was a
thumbsucker was born when his three year old brother was still nursing
several times a day. As I remember- he started thumbsucking after his brother
stopped nursing. He continued until 8 years or so despite nursing for 2.5.
     I realize this is an old topic but  I  had to put in my $.02  about
chicken pox. Not one of my  4 children has come down with them (now ages
9-17). They have been repeatedly exposed, often on purpose . This year I gave
up and will probably have the older two immunized. My co leader in LLL had
two sons that both came down with them at sixteen but two years apart. Maybe
it's something in our water?
                   Debby Kearney IBCLC private practice in sunny Orlando!