Hi All,
    The posts on discreet breastfeeding, public nursing, amount of skin
showing (or not showing) all go into the general category of no matter
how much things change they always stay the same, except that this time,
our playing field has been turned away from us due to the influence of
the ABM manufactures (probably the biggest one), the media influence
(also another biggie), hypocrisy, misinformation and no information,
and finally personal choice. Some women, tend to stand firm on their
personal choice (whatever it may be) and fail to see that it should also
be allowed for me - it is my personal choice to be a mother, it is my
choice to breastfeed, it has been my choice not to pursue employment.
Choice should include everyone and their personal choices. HPCs really
need to grasp that we are not breastfeeding 'police' nor 'making moms
feel guilty.' but simply giving her the information to make her personal
choice. Another thing all (ALL) of us  need to never forget is that any
woman who becomes pregnant and delivers a baby whether that baby is
alive, dead or dying and whether she raises it, her husband raises it,
she gives it up for adoption or the baby dies - is a mother forever.
That can and never will change. I must admit that I get upset at times
when the 'past' is swept under the carpet and ignored, as it may be
exactly what is controlling the mother is the situation now being
handled. On that note, we must be careful to get the full details. I
ranted recently about LLL still being seen as hard-line and rigid and
found that a particular situation was not a past situation of this
mother nor something she heard about LLL, but someone who was no longer
associated with LLL who felt that the constraints had been lifted from
her and the mother was perceiving her as LLL. I am sure the same happens
in the LC arena too.
    On the mission statement, Kim it is great, the only recommendations
I would make is
            1) Our goals are to educate Health care
professionals to give appropriate advice to keep mothers  nursing their
babies well into the first year and beyond. Add: after advice to [help
mothers begin] and before keep mothers nursing their babies.
            2)  To make the general public aware of the life-long
advantages the breast-fed individual enjoys so that all people will
encourage rather than discourage the breastfeeding
mother. Add: after life-long advantages [that the mother, family, health
care system and society] and before the breast-fed baby. Great work.

Leslie Ward
Vine Grove, KY
"Know that we are eager to share our gifts, in the name of love." Seneca
proverb