I had a client who was an infant mental health specialist.  She informed me
that there is an association here in Central Texas.  As time allows, I try
to attend their meetings in order to try to increase the interdisciplinary
communication and to educate about breastfeeding.  I worked very hard with
that client to make sure she was ultimately successful and she did have a
long, happy breastfeeding relationship, but it took 3 months to get this
baby comfortable at breast! Interestingly her child had LOTS of sensory
defensiveness issues that impacted upon feeding.  The baby's difficulties in
getting feeding well established shook this very bright woman's confidance
to the core.  One of the things that I kept constantly pointing out to her
was that her challenges would ultimately help her in the future identify
more compassionately with other struggling mothers.  I feel that the effort
to help her, which included lots of "counseling and supportive calls" will
make a difference as she interacts and impacts upon her own community of
colleagues and clients.  This is why I think it is so important to ask
people what they and their husbands do for a living.  I try to network
people and network disciplines all the time.  There is no way I as one
person can create a community of support for breastfeeding, but I can try to
connect the dots and let others do some of the work for me.  That's why
every woman who can be helped through a breastfeeding crisis to the point
where she falls in love with the baby and the activity becomes an ambassador
for breastfeeding.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

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