Whilst I won't underplay my own part (I seem to have the knack of being 
heard/getting through), I'm just the conveyor of the message.  It's the 
letters, with huge big shiny qualifications on them, that do the work.

*round of applause for all who responded*

I'm actually still stunned this one worked... thank heavens there are 
competent and compassionate Social Workers in the world.  They went from 
totally banning contact 8pm-8am, to allowing the child back into a 
bedroom with the mother overnight.  It had to be at the grand parent's 
house, and they asked that she use a cot.  No problemo!  In other words, 
they went from a standard response, to adjusting their demands 
appropriately to the infant involved.  Kudos to them!

The outpouring of chapters and research articles on the importance of 
night time feeding for toddlers, was unbelievable.  We're trying to set 
up an online database whereby all quotes and references can be indexed, 
so that we can pull off what we need as we respond to other cases.
 
Jack Newman reported that breastfeeding toddlers being investigated by 
social workers for 'low weight gain' was on the rise in Canada.  I 
suspect there is going to be need of the database, as breastfeeding 
slowly emerges from the closet.

Thankfully, many social services departments don't view breastfeeding 
toddler as strange.  In fact, it's more that once a child has been 
raised on their radar, they just don't know what to do with it: no idea 
of normal feeding patterns, or normal growth.  So being able to hand 
them a pack of info about both how normal it is, and the effects of 
enforcing the removal of it from the infant, worked.

But I totally blew being calm and neutral and professional, for when the 
Team Leader phoned me back to tell me what had been arranged, I burst 
into tears!

Oops!

Morgan Gallagher

ps New case in my inbox, mother being hassled for breastfeeding three 
year old...

www.nursingmatters.org.uk Nina Berry wrote:
> What amazing work you do, Morgan.  You really are an advocate.  I still have
> dreams (nightmares really) about having a new baby in NICU and not being
> able to be with my baby AND find the papers/people to support my feeding
> choices all while fighting with specialists/ social workers/ court orders.
> This is really really important. 
> Kudos to you.
>   

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