sandy's post provokes some strong feelings on my part. if we are not supposed to have some knowledge of child development, then why is it so extensively covered in our literature (and, like, why were there so many questions about it on the IBCLE)? i have to say i disagree that there is insufficient literature to substantiate the superiority of attachment parenting. why does co-sleeping reduce the rate of SIDS? i find that i do often need to discuss parenting styles with a client. i see mother/baby dyads because they are having a problem. if their parenting style contributes to their problem, i advise them on what steps i think would improve their problem. i present attachment parenting as a choice that they should investigate, so that even if they decide to use another style, they are making an informed choice. i have a current client who has been following the parenting plan we love to hate, and it has had some terrible effects on her health and her baby's. how could i not explain to her that some of the choices she has been making have caused her problems? she did not make an informed choice when she took the class and began to follow its rules, because she didn't investigate any other options. i consider that to not suggest changes would be inappropriate for me ethically as her lactation consultant. i am not sure that "each to his own" is a sufficient guideline for practice as an lc. does that mean that, as well as suggesting that parents read books on attachment parenting, they read babywise as well? does that mean that you tell them "some evidence supports reducing the incidence of SIDS by co-sleeping with your baby but some evidence disputes that, and some people recommend putting your baby to sleep on her back but plenty of people put their babies to sleep on their stomachs and it hasn't killed them yet'? do you suggest to parents that even though most evidence supports breastmilk as the best food for babies, many people use formula and there is some "scientific evidence" supporting formula being as good as mother's milk, so maybe they want to consider using it when it isn't convenient to breastfeed? there is "scientific evidence" out there to support every position under the sun, so some subjective judgements must be made as to which have more credibility. the lc must do this too. i know that many who do this lactation work have not had personal experience with attachment parenting, or even breastfeeding. it's not required to have personal experience, but i do think it is necessary to understand all the ranges of normal breastfeeding you can get experience with. those who work only in hospitals (how pleased i was to see that sandy recognizes that there is nothing normal in the nicu in relation to breastfeeding) MUST get other experience. your closest wic office and LLL group is a good place to start. if a mother whose baby is perfectly normal and healthy and who is totally satisfied with her relationship with her child asks me a question, i usually try to answer. no, i wouldn't bring parenting style into my answer unless that was the question asked of me. but when i am seeing a client, they have a problem. parenting style is just one of the many factors that might be an influence. and when someone with a very young baby asks me for advice concerning parenting styles, i explain to them that i favor attachment parenting, for "medical" and "scientific" reasons as well as emotional. someone i know calls it "the lazy way to parent." as long as those who are not personally familiar with attachment parenting view it as an intrusive, demanding way of living, it is not surprising to see that there is a persistent belief that "only poor women would do it because they have no other choice" and that it is too time consuming or too demanding. there is a dangerous tendency to view lactation work as either medical or non-medical. i am perfectly well aware that the nurse lactation consultants in my area view me with mixed emotions (that's the nicest way to put it) because i am NOT a nurse. there aren't two different levels. being a nurse is separate. people who view lc work as being something wherein we cannot "prescribe" but only recommend "unless you are a nurse" are confusing the essential nature of our work. it has to include both areas, and if that means making recommendations on parenting practices as they relate to breastfeeding, then it is a necessary part of what we do. carol brussel IBCLC laura nevada lactation denver co *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html