I try to first give positive reinforcement for however long the mom
breastfed.  Then I give a little speech about how moms can only
breastfeed as long as they have the resources to do so, whether those
resources are time, support, money, or whatever.  I then sneak in the
suggestion that it is possible to start breastfeeding again if her
situation changes.  If it is her first baby, I usually also make a
suggestion that things are generally much easier with subsequent babies.

If I think a mom is wavering but she has not yet quit bf, I try to talk
to her about the barriers, the things that are toughest for her, and we
try to problem solve those things.  I also try to give anticipatory
guidance for the upcoming challenges - returning to work if this is
applicable, breasts softening if mom is worried about supply, etc.  This
heads off some of the quitting.  I also encourage moms to come to my LLL
group by offering to check the latch or help them refine it at the
meeting.  Once they come, they are usually hooked (I have great
co-Leaders and a great group of moms).  Sometimes I talk about how hard
it was for me to sit down and feed my firstborn for 1.25h every 1.5h
(who had multiple bf problems) while my house got dusty - a real
"toughie" for Mediteranean cultures.  It helps for them to know that
someone else didn't immediately love everything about breastfeeding, but
grew to love it over time.

And definately vent to your colleagues here.  I do call my LC friends
and complain when someone quits for what seem like frivolous reasons,
when other moms move heaven and earth to even partially breastfeed.
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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