Nofia, I once had a discussion with Batya Davis (LC at Misgav Ladach
hospital in Jerusalem, herself an Orthodox Jew) about this. If I remember
correctly (ask Batya yourself), she told me that in her opinion, *in spite
of the Orthodox tradition for longterm exclusive feeding* (Chief Rabbi of
Tel Aviv recommends 2 years) which would, in most women naturally lead to
LAM, there were very Orthodox did not practice this because *they want many
babies* to replace population lost in the Holocaust. Living in Beer Sheva,
I was amazed that a segment of the population still operated along this
type of lifestyle, but apparently Batya, living in Jerusalem, has
encountered women living within this context. It is not within our
purview to be judgmental of these women because their culture is
different from ours. They will take in from what we advise them what they
can fit into what their goals are, and no more.
On the other hand, I remember overhearing quite a few years ago a
discussion among very Orthodox LCs living in Jerusalem about which rabbis
were "breastfeeding-friendly". One LC was named Yehudit and Cynthia Tabakoff
could have been another. It was a long time ago, and I'm terrible at
names. Maybe Batya could help you on this too.
BTW, this was not only for Nofia, but anyone else out there who may
encounter Orthodox Jewish clients! This is really a separate
subculture that should be recognized as such, with special needs and
a different mindset that they would never dream of sharing with
"outsiders".
Regards, Judy