Just wanted to add my thoughts on this topic.  I am a breastfeeding peer
counselor and what I do is work with new moms on the telephone, some of whom
experience sore nipples and other early breastfeeding issues.  We are
trained to do this type of telephone counseling.  The only fancy initials I
have after my name pertain not at all to breastfeeding or healthcare of any
type.

Although I am still very new to this, I like to think that I am able to help
the majority of women to establish a pleasant, successful breastfeeding
relationship, and this does seem to be my experience so far.

I think of myself as simply passing on my own experience (enhanced of course
through in depth training) to new mothers, which is the way women have
helped women breastfeed successfully throughout history.  Yes, there are
problems where greater expertise is needed to establish breastfeeding, but
the vast majority of women are helped by simple encouragement, support and
some specific comments about latch on and positioning.

I don't necessarily think most women need expertise on a level higher than
mother-to-mother to successfully nurse their babies.  In a way, this harkens
back to the earlier discussion of pumps and the common perception that these
are needed for successful nursing.  Does every new mother need an LC to
learn to nurse her baby?  I try to remember, and pass on to new mothers,
that a mother has everything she needs to nurse her baby when the baby is in
her arms!  (Now, when it simply is not working for a whole variety of
reasons you all know more about than I ever will -- you folks are the
lifesavers, literally!)

Rhonda Feder
Elkins Park, PA
lawyer and lay counselor

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