Although I am firmly pro exclusive breastfeeding, but can appreciate the approach that says get as much breastmilk into the baby as possible without compromising supply issues, I thought I might add this little anecdote...

I had lots and lots of problems getting started nursing.  After c-section and 5-day hospitalization and receiving acres and acres of advice, some excellent, most bad - we came home a nursing pair only to be disrupted again by the clock-watching advice given by the home-health nurse visit a day later and a  Pedi. who, when presented with weight gaining issues,  handed me a can of formula and told me to drop this bfg nonsense (my commitment.)   But we sought help and found it in an angel of a woman who was my LC.  Upon her home visit she did lots of things that are probably very familiar to you all --  correct the latch, correct my position, change my chair, praise me, praise my nipples ( ah, such reinforcement!), teach us suck training, get me a pump, weigh the baby, rearrange my pillows, etc. etc. etc. 

But the most shocking and therefore, memorable, moment came when she proceeded to dump the contents of the pre-mix formula bottles sent home with me from the hospital down the drain.  She did this under the pretense (smirk) of needing the little bottle to attach to the SNS and for the pump set-up but I watched in horror as my emergency back-up disappeared.  Yet, that act and her support displayed such a confidence in my ability to breastfeed that we never looked back from that point --  despite needing a second fine-tuning visit and a subsequent a battle with thrush.  So just my .02

Lisa Dugan
LLLL, Southern NJ

 (Since we had had so many problems the hospital gave us both kits- a smoke alarm (?!) for the nusing moms and the forumla bag)   

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