Working as an RN and hospital based LC, my experience is primarily with the newborn period. Beyond that I resort to my experience nursing my two children. As I was seemingly prone to plugs and mastitis, they did give me my share (and more) of experiences. With my 1st child, I had decided that I was ready to have my body back and tried to begin weaning (probably too fast) when he was 14 months. I soon found a plug that would not go away and resorted to picking it off with a sterile needle (ouch). I don't know whether I gave myself a nipple pore infection, or whether it was just a slow healing sore pore, but it was four months before I could nurse pain-free on that breast. Needless to say, I weaned him real slowly when he was nearly 20 months. I guess in the end it was really a plus that it happened, he got to nurse for nearly 6 months longer ( I was too terrified to try to wean again any sooner, for fear of more problems). And in the end, when he began to get ear infections one month after weaning, I later wished that I had kept nursing. I became an LC four years later and wish I knew back then what I know now! Priscilla Tansley RN,IBCLC In southern Vermont, where there was a freak thunder storm this morning! *********************************************** 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