In working with women post partum I've come to appreciate the value of simple information. This means short sentences, clear instructions for anything that 'must' be done, and preferably a copy in writing, with illustrations if need be, to mother if there is something she should retain for more than 15 minutes. Sometimes the things we plan as part of solving a problem can seem overwhelmingly complicated, especially to someone who doesn't have our background and experience with breastfeeding. Buying a package, mixing some powder with water, administering it to the baby by bottle and then just leaning back to enjoy the quiet as baby finally stops making dissatisfied noises and SLEEPS, may seem like a great alternative if you are sleep-deprived, worried that the baby will starve, and have never known anyone who BF comfortably and effectively for any length of time. That mother is not looking more than about 10 minutes into her future, because the present is just exceeding her capacity for coping. Simplicity is one of the great charms of BF. We need to emphasize that, and make sure that our suggested solutions to BF problems are as simple, and as simply presented, as practically possible. None of this addresses the other problem, which is when we forget to check with the mother on what her goals are. If she suspects there is a 'right' and a 'wrong' answer to that question as far as we are concerned, she is less likely to be honest and she and we will both waste a lot of time and energy. Cheers and good luck to all who are taking the exam tomorrow - glad it's not ME! Rachel Myr Kristiansand, Norway *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html