> Of course women are free to disregard the recommendations, just as >they are free to disregard clear advice to use seat belts Just as a point of info, in the UK, the legislation - almost always obeyed - is that seat belts must be used at all times by adults and children. http://www.lawontheweb.co.uk/seatbelts.htm I don't think that legislation should apply to infant feeding, but I do think it's reasonable for healthcare professional bodies to see infant feeding issues *not* solely as personal choice but as an issue of social and political *enabling* - it's everybody's business, really. It's very simple. Do we want a healthy population? Do we want infants and children who enjoy their infancy and childhood with minimum unnecessary illness? Do we want good family relationships? If the answer to all of these is 'yes', then we have to look at the barriers which prevent mothers being *enabled* to breastfeed....and one of them, sadly, is the knowledge and support that's lacking in their HCPs. It would have been good if the AAP (which is listened to all over the world) could have said something about infant feeding as a clear public health issue. Heather Welford Neil NCT bfc, tutor, 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