I don't know how relevant this is, (and what is to follow is hearsay...) A friend of mine in the DC area heard Miriam Lobok (sp?) speak on Norplant and she had said that contrary to popular opinion, that it could significantly decrease milk supply IF given before 2 months and a well established milk supply, and that after that time it didn't seem to make that much difference. Perhaps this is similar to the Depo Provera. Personally, it scares me to think about taking hormones while nursing a baby. (Some of that fear is rooted in being a DES daughter. I can't help but wonder if these moms and babies aren't part of a lab experiment that the results won't be known for 30 years and a generation or two down the road.) Come to think of it, it scares me to be taking hormones period. As I approach what seems to be early menopause starting, I may have to deal with that fear more rationally, I suppose... It just seems logical that since the reproductive hormones overlap and interact with the lactation hormones, that dumping one into one system is bound to have some kind of effect on the other, and the effect--even if not obviously detrimental--is not the intended sequence. Changing the subject a bit, did any of you see the Associated Press story about too much stimulation during the day causing baby to lose sleep at night? A Dr. Sara Harkness of PA State Univ studied Dutch and American families and found that Dutch babies sleep longer, and sleep through the night sooner than Amer. babies. She believes it to be because of "a Dutch penchant for regularity and restfulness, contrasting with the Amer belief that stimulation helps babies' mental development. "Dutch parents tend to establish soothing routines for their babies all day long, not just at night. Compared with Amer moms, they pick up their babies less and talk to them less. They believe infants should learn to entertain themselves. They put them to bed at the same time every night. "' Perhaps having a regular and restful daytime routine is a key to the early development fo a pattern of nighttime sleep that seems to fit the needs of both the child and the rest of the family,' said Harkness." Comments? Of course nothing was said about bf, and I wonder what the Dutch attitude towards bf is and how that plays into this whole picture. While I think they may be on to something about decreasing the stimuli during the day, I don't think that should include being held by mom. The article also says that "many parents list poor sleeping as their biggest childrearing headache, especially during the first year or two." I have to wonder how often sleep "problems" are more a problem with an unrealistic idea of baby sleep habits rather than baby sleep habits being "wrong." (Can you tell this in one of my hots spots??) Anybody else see this, perhaps in a newspaper that might tell more of the story? Melissa