Wendy makes some good points. Many mothers just need big doses of empathy and support to follow their instincts and use their common sense. Alas, I know a couple of IBCLCs who actively sabotage breastfeeding and some outstanding Peer Counsellors who do sterling work. Recently a new and uncertain mother with latching problems came to see me. She was brought by a close friend who gave no advice at all, but was amazingly supportive. That friend spent far more time with the mother dispensing tender loving care and in the long run was far more important in the breastfeeding/mothering picture than me. Now if every mother had such a friend ...... This is where support groups like LLL can fill the gap. Yes, academic knowledge and techniques are essential to solve some of the "bigger" problems. But it's the mother's support system (or lack thereof) that plays a huge role as well. Jean Ridler RN RM IBCLC South Africa [log in to unmask] *********************************************** 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