Nikki asked: "This basic, life-supporting impulse collides into the relatively recent need for reimbursement. How can these 2 different roads be reconciled?" As someone outside the USA it seems very obvious that the conflict is a product of the political and economic system within which you operate. All the 'need to be paid' and therefore the dependence on commercial interests is because the state does not pay for breastfeeding help. Here in the UK we have a (slowly disintegrating) system of socialised medicine-- 60 years old this week and one of the finest acheivements of the 20th century in the UK (although the continent can knock spots off the system in many ways these days). We have volunteers, and at least the group I work for, is able to have a complete ban on working for commercial interests, and a policy of carefully considering whether to speak at sponosored events. The people who are LCs here in the UK are mostly also health professionals, employed by the National Health Service, whose skills with breastfeeding may arise out of personal passion and be partly self-funded (study events, etc) but who are basically able to be free of commercial influence. And long may this last for us!!!!!! As I am American and only left in my 20's the situation you all describe still sounds vaguely understandable, but -- from the outside -- it is completely bizarre. As long as you live in this situation, you will find yourselves contortioning to square your circle. I feel sympathy for you all at the individual level. However, aside from the impatience at my fellow Americans collectively for their strange customs, I do feel very angry at the way this way of thinking and exploitation is exported worldwide, poisoning things for the rest of us. I know many will bridle at this statement, but I make it to let you know how really unsavoury this whole discussion has appeared from afar. Magda Sachs Breastfeeding Supporter, The Breastfeeding Network, UK *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome