Lactnet Friends -
Can't resist sharing a funny story.  When my third child was just a few weeks
old I was asked by the minister of our Congregational church to be the lay
reader one Sunday.  I was seated in front of the congregation next to the
minister for the first part of the service.  My baby happily slept in her
basket next to my chair.  About a minute before I was supposed to do the
scripture reading she stirred and started to wake up.  I picked her up.  When
I had to go up to the lecturn the minister offered to hold her for me, but I
figured she'd fuss more if he held her.  Sure enough, two sentances into the
scripture reading she started rooting and nuzzling.  Fortunately I was
wearing a dress with bf slits, so trying not to mess up my reading, I latched
her on and just kept going.  When done the minister thanked me, as usual, for
the scripture reading and then added what an experienced mom I was - that I
could "take care of" a fussy baby and read scripture at the same time!  I'm
not sure he knew what I did since he was behind me, but I was sure the entire
congregation knew!
During coffee hour four or five people came up to me, one after the other, to
tell me how deftly and discreetly I had nursed the baby and they were sure
that no one else had noticed!  I heard about it for weeks afterwards, but not
a single negative comment was made.  (A month later we were asked to play
Mary and baby Jesus in the live nativity scene on Christmas Eve.  Fortunately
she slept all through that.  But it was nice to think that Jesus was a bf
baby, too!)
Re church art: there is a lovely old church in Barbados, the name of which
escapes me, which has a statue in the back of the sanctuary dedicated to a
woman who died young (I think in 18th C, maybe early 19th C) and is buried in
the church yard.  It shows her with her two small children on either side of
her and holding her infant who is breast- feeding.  A lovely memorial to a
young mother!
Cynthia
P.S. Welcome to Rosalie Girard, IBCLC who lives in my neck of the woods and
has recently joined Lactnet!