Hi All,
    Congratulations Kathleen B, birthdays are special and we all send
our best wishes.
    On lice, I know it is not breastfeeding related unless the mother is
breastfeeding, however, for some reason we in America are overly
sensitive about it. I was talking with a woman yesterday, who when at a
family function with her in laws, the sils went berserk when they
'decided' that her daughter had lice. Removed all the cousins, screamed
and yelled at each other until they determined which bed this child had
slept in, dragged the mom to Wal Mart and got a bottle of Rid,
instructing the mom that this what you use to treat lice (like she was a
child)[ and then left her at Wal Mart, standing out front waiting for
them] and then forcefully held her back while they were treating the
child. The mom was from another culture, where simple, home type
remedies are used and lice is seen as one of those childhood
'troublesome' areas we all encounter. I told her, she is amazing, as I
would have knocked those sisters in law silly. I also told her that her
humiliation and the child's must have been awful, as is the lesson
taught the other cousins. By the way after 5 years, Rid, Nix, & Qwell
all don't work. We are on another round, again..
    On Lacie - child on breastmilk for years - I know for a fact that
she was on breastmilk for more than 4 years, as she was still in the
news in OK especially after the sudden transition from many hospitals
having their own milk banks to regional milk banks. There were many
pleas for assistance, and even donations of milk. The problem with the
suck I believe may have be caused by the fact that this mother either
did not start breastfeeding or ended so soon after birth that, Lacie did
not have this benefit. You guys, are great, here you post this and I
just got a call concerning a mom who has a 7 month old, who has lived
entirely on breastmilk, but has not sucked, breastfed or had solids.
After this most recent surgery, the doctor is moving toward
breastfeeding, Many specialists involved and worried about getting baby
onto breast, suck problems, etc. To me, since this mom has maintained
her milk supply to entirely feed this infant for 7 months, baby has not
had bottle or solids - where is the problem? This would be more like
putting a newborn or premie to the breast for the first time. It may
take time and patience, but problems?!?
    Diane - on the post on pain and meds. The only reason I have a
problem with this is that birth really does not belong in the hospital
setting the majority of time - the message is that pregnancy is an
illness or disease especially since the number of appointments implies
that too. The subtle thing about this is that rather than showing a
concern for monitoring and making sure that a pregnancy with problems is
taken special care, the real message is that women should not trust
their bodies nor their instincts and 'give' themselves and their babies
over to medicine which 'knows' better. Why is our medical system aiming
for the bottom (addicts, malnourished, undereducated) and forcing those
of us are knowledgeable of our bodies, pregnancy and such to have to be
subjected to the 'rules?!?'
    On the questions for the survey, you are right on. On the first
question I would have to answer yes for almost all of my pregnancies, on
the second question, I would answer 0 for all 5 pregnancies.

Leslie Ward
Vine Grove, KY
"If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come." Arapaho proverb