I notice a lot of posts lately from nursing students at the University of
North Dakota, all of whom seem to have been reading Lactnet for the past
month or so and are now posing questions on breastfeeding.  I suspect that
a very astute nursing instructor there has assigned Lactnet-lurking to the
students, maybe requiring each of them to develop a question for us, giving
them an opportunity to learn about, explore and use this wonderful
resource.  Three cheers for this wise teacher.  I am thrilled to know that
so many future nurses will be familiar with Lactnet, be able to use it in
their practices, and perhaps even spread the word to their colleagues.

Marti Lyn asked about fathers' rights regarding breastfeeding.  You might
find it helpful to read some of the things William Sears has written
addressed to fathers.  He gives specific ways in which fathers can be
supportive and encouraging.  You could look at "The Baby Book" for a start.
 And for information on the opposite problem, when a mother wants to
breastfeed and the father is not supportive, see the La Leche League
website information by Liz Baldwin on custody disputes and separation
issues as they impact breastfeeding.  Also, be aware that for some mothers
who react as you describe, making numerous comments that "this is not going
to work," a history of past sexual abuse as a child may possibly be a
contributing factor.  This needs to be handled with a great deal of
understanding and support.  You might want to do some reading in this area,
and to search the Lactnet archives, as there have been some eloquent posts
on this in the past.  For example, "Choosing not to breastfeed" forwarded
by Kathleen Bruce on 10/30/95, "Sexual abuse and breastfeeding" by Marie
Davis on 10/31/95, a post by Nancy Williams on 12/10/95 (I don't have the
title), "Talking about abuse" by C. Ione Sims on 12/22/95.  I'm sure there
are many more, but this is a start.  Also see Louise Acheson's study in the
Archives of Family Medicine, 1995; 4:650-652, in which she found that women
who did not breastfeed their newborns were 38 times more likely to have
been battered or sexually abused, or have children who were abused, than
breastfeeding women.  Finally, even with a very supportive husband in the
picture, a woman may have to overcome a lot of cultural/societal pressures
that lead her to view breastfeeding as too embarrassing, difficult,
painful, etc.  Finding a good peer support group (La Leche League meetings,
for example) can supplement her partner's loving support and create a more
positive environment.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL Leader in Madison, WI