I have been away in Darwin, Northern Territory for three weeks giving one of two papers on breastfeeding and investigating the breastfeeding rates for aboriginal women. The good news is that the further away from "civilisation" aboriginal women are, the breastfeeding rates improve to become 100%. This reply is a one off long diatribe to make up for my absence and therefore replies to a few different issues. If I sound like a lecturer it is because I am one. So forgive the directives please. (1) Gentian Violet Since I sent my advice about using aqueous Gentian Violet on l9 th August a lot of mail has been generated!. Australians have been unable to obtain gentian violet easily in Australia and have been unable to recommend if for a few years due to an edict from the medical profession. The message was that preterm babies had been affected possibly by exuberant use. I question in whose interests the curtailment of this wonderful cure for thrush was made. However I agree that the effect of its use is rapid provided the cause is thrush. I have observed its use for genital herpes and it was also effective on an adult pregnant woman. Enthusiasm (that is more is better) should be curtailed and twice a day for adults and once a day for infants is the normal. Infants buttocks need to be exposed to air likewise women need to expose breasts to air. Women need to wear cotton undergarments and avoid synthetic materials.. (2) Australian Position I have to disagree with those who abandon ideas on the basis of anecdotal evidence or one limited research study. Posture feedings of various kinds have been used as far back as time for improving individual breastfeeds. Many up-to-date texts including the WHO workbook ( a stranger brought this back for me from Sweden) have various posture feeding positions described and demonstrated. In my over thirty five years (this year) experience with helping breastfeeding women some women have found the lying down flat position very useful for the wonderful problem of initial (first couple of minutes) fast rates of flow. Provided gravity is used for the remainder of the feed then banking up or stasis is not a problem. I have spoken to some women who found they could not feed any other way for several months as this "oversupply problem" continued especially early in the morning. (3) Cabbage Leaves Once again these poor leaves are getting a pounding. If it works use it. However just as for posture feeding, and gentian violet find out the cause of the problem first then treat. One problem with the new (old) ideas they tend to be used as a cure all without assessment and therefore sometimes fail. Loss of milk supply may be related to the original problem ie poor attachment or flat nipples or cracked nipples etc. and should be addressed first before applying cabbage leaves. Secondly give the information to the mother and let her decide for herself. I am always concerned when ideas are prohibited for a total population. There are no rules, even a change in position or technique, however, strange, is sometimes the trigger for the baby to take up an improved pattern of breastfeeding. The baby makes no judgement about right or wrong, they usually just didn't like the last method tried!! (4) Cleft Palate Surgery I was so impressed with the replies to this question. As an educator I need some more help and would like the video but I have only three weeks to my next course. l wonder if using Heather Harris's method of RE-imprinting (that is placing mother and baby in a bath to breastfed (re-birth) might help the older baby with the post surgery breastfeeding attachment problem? (5) Bras There was a study done in Hawaii on a large number of women, but unfortunately the researchers failed to include variables such as whether participants were smoking breastfeeding or note etc. However they concluded that there was a strong link with underwire bras and cancer. In my experience of examining the use of bras I have noted the constriction to circulation and subsequent oedema caused by so-called breastfeeding bras. Some of us avoid wearing bras because of neck ache?? General Comment It is wonderful that our collective knowledge is now on Internet. Writing a book might help but the immediacy of the knowledge when problems are current increases my motivation. Why else would I read through three weeks of mail? Thanks Lactnetters. [log in to unmask] http://www.rie.net.au/~bevw/