Karen, may your soapbox never splinter! This may not be popular,
but I have my buttons, too, and bf experience in an LC is one of
them. Of course, Karen and Dr. Williams are right in that a
negative experience will influence advocacy. Shades again of the
getting-into-the-baby's-booties. I would give some thoughtful
pause, though, to encouraging people who have never breastfed to
enter the field of hands-on counselling. I believe it not to the
point to compare caring for a diabetic with caring for a bf mom
for the following reason. Childbirth and lactation are EMOTIONAL-
laden issues for many women. Someone with experience vividly
remembers the awful fatigue of the first weeks, the attacks on
one's self-confidence, the pain of a plugged duct, the anxiety
of a mother-in-law nagging to give-her-grandson-a-bottle-for-
Pete's-sake, and so on. I know that I find myself valuing empathy
(someone who's been there) over sympathy during my life crises.
Look at mushrooming support groups. Yet, I would hate to "bar"
people simply because they are not personally experienced, since
I honestly believe that many could make valuable contributions
and possess wonderful counselling skills in certain situations.
No hard and fast rules, are there? I myself would definitely
prefer an LC with bf experience (and a midwife who has given
birth and, yes, a surgeon who has been under the knife). But
that's me. I also think that most moms I see really bond with me
(maybe leading to "compliance"?, sorry, Karen) when I roll my
eyes and tell them, yes, the first few weeks are HARD, and they
can see that I am REMEMBERING and not mouthing book-learning. Off
the soapbox. Regards and apologies, Judy Knopf