Ekua, One of the reasons I stay on as an LLLL even though my plate is more than full ( being an RN, IBCLC, working on a grant and trying like heck to get more funding or the grant will end, hospital LC work, LC education for the staff, supporting other hospitals which want to become "baby friendly", etc....) is that the only way I see changes in moms is through the month by month contact with moms who are growing and developing as their babies grow and develop. I feel I'm the only place (my meeting) where they will hear the words "it's OK to baby your baby" or "at times, the only thing we can do is cuddle them" or "even if you have to work, take the time when you get home to hold and cuddle" (instead of the many ways your baby can be entertained while you do the really "important" work of washing, cleaning, etc.). I've often discussed this with Dr. Parrilla here in PR (whose plate is also very full with 4 children, a business and the promotion of a breastfeeding program through the School of Public Health) who has her own support group. At times the group keeps _us_ going! We need the fulfillment we get from seeing these moms and babies grow and develop. I've never gotten this from hospital or private LC work as I rarely saw the _next_ stage! Every month, I'm tired out and think "this is the last Saturday I'm running that group!" Then I come back, having seen those babies grow another month, seen the moms respond to their babies, and enjoyed their antics - as well as being able, from the perspective of a mom of three college-aged children, to reassure them that children DO grow, DO become independent, and this type of mothering DOES work. In effect, it is my burnout-protection-plan! Jeanette Panchula, BSW, LLLL, IBCLC, RN Puerto Rico [log in to unmask]