I second Elaine Webber's wise comment on the need to realize the wide
spectrum of individual differences. I left 5 month Danielle with Grandma
in Cincinnati while hubby and I shook loose in California (two Americans
who had never seen California, can you imagine?) for 4 or 5 days (1973). I
pumped 4-6 times a day, using one of those bulb thingies - about as
primitive as you can get after hand expression! Danielle had managed to
catch a cold while Imma was gone, and was she glad to see me! went right
for the breast with a sigh of relief (probably imagined on my part, since
I had missed her a lot too!). Altho I had no trouble pumping, even under
very primitive conditions (sitting on the toilet in a public bathroom in
Disneyland comes to mind right off - well, it was the only place to sit
down!), I can very easily understand how women can have trouble. Remember
my original voicing of confusion over why so many women in the States use
pumps?
A situation that annoyed me some time ago: the head nurse of the clinic
where I see moms said to me that she couldn't understand just exactly
what I did: if you want to nurse your baby, you put him to the breast and
that's that! (Right, everyone?) When I was showing M...'s SNS to a mom
who didn't need it, but was so interested in breastfeeding, well, you
never know what seeds you may sow, as Roberta once noted, this same nurse
walked into the room and wanted to know what that was. I explained it to
her, and she interrupted when she understood its purpose and said "Uch,
that's disgusting!" I was so shocked that I just stood there..... Sigh.
And I have to get along with everyone..... Thanks for listening. Judy K