I remember looking forward to my first baby. What an abstract concept! And I remember looking forward to my second baby, and marveling at how abstract that felt too. I know part of why I decided to breastfeed was an almost archetypal-feeling memory of a neighbor breastfeeding. (Now I know what that prolactin glow was all about!) Like Laurie (and all the rest of us!) I work with all kinds of moms who are facing all kinds of challenges. Over and over, I look to give the mom some success. Lately I've been facing criticism from two gals who are new CLC's (took the one week course, now I have the initials after my name....you, Dawn, are not doing it right!). "What's the plan, Dawn?? Well, we're hookin' it and crookin' it!" Human beings are messy, and new moms are literally leaking from just about every body orifice (thank you Sheila Kitzinger for that amazing image). Only want to nurse in the hospital? I'll sign on to help you. Want to pump instead of feed at breast? Call me, cookie! Only one feeding at breast so he gets the colostrum? That's fine. Bottle and breast? I'll be glad to help. I've never seen what you've got? I know the basic principles (I am after all an IBCLC!) and we can work from there. Over and over, I remind myself that life is not all or nothing. I am not here to be The Breastfeeding Police. (I sometimes remind newborn moms that there ARE no breastfeeding police, but even on Day Two they don't always believe me.) We're back to our LLL roots with "Meet the mother where she is" -- and maybe she will walk along with you as you walk along with her. There are always reasons behind these decisions. That's how I learned about childhood sexual abuse and going back to work at 3 days postpartum and women's hatred of their bodies. It's also how I learned that moms can make different decisions with baby 2 or baby 3. Or come back and re-lactate. Or send me their friend, because they don't want her to make the same bad decision they did. Over and over, I have found that success builds on success. Breastfeeding - and probably all those lovely and messy hormones, and those lovely messy babies! - hypnotizes us and draws us in, and suddenly we are in love. I thank God for 25 years of helping moms breastfeed, and this area has lots and lots of breastfeeding moms. More now than ever before. Somewhere "the hundredth monkey" got it, and moms you would never imagine even giving it a try, end up nursing a year or more. And the hcps are getting it too....I had an ambulatory care nurse call me to help a mom who'd just had "her tubes tied" ask me to come down and help a mom with a pump. "She's a recovering drug addict you know, we've gotta keep that milk coming, it's helping her stay clean." Wow! And yesterday....the pediatrician threw a very elegant tantrum until the ENT specialist came to clip a frenulum. The pedi called me just out of the OR and told me about the tongue tie, and when she got the runaround from the ENT, she called and asked me to "do an especially fine consult on this one." And I did, and that baby went right onto that breast and sighed, suckled and slept. Wahoo! Dawn Kersula...getting all those CERPS together for my 15 year recert I have so many extra, I should sell them on ebay! Can't get enough of those rough and tumble LC get togethers!! *********************************************** 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 email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html