As has been said by others, it's not an issue of mother with baby so much as an issue of inconsiderate attendees. I have been totally annoyed and distracted by individuals sitting near me at conferences who believed this was a good time to catch up on mutual friends/colleages during a presentation. Earlier this year I paid good money of my own (not my employer's) to fly to a conference in another state, and paid for conference fees, meals and hotel. I sat near a couple of women whose registration had been paid by their employer. They kept up continuous, non-relevant conversation during the entire morning session, paying no attention whatsoever to the speaker or topic being presented. Before the beginning of the afternoon session, I asked them to please keep quiet or leave the session. They looked at me like I was the wicked witch of the West. Fortunately, after 15 miutes of enforced silence they got up and left and took their conversation to the lobby. Breastfeeding mothers and their babies should be welcomed at lactation conferences. And, yes, I believe nursing mothers should leave if their babies become unsettled and too noisy during a conference. It's all about good manners, common sense and consideration of others .... whether you have a baby in arms or not. Unambiguously yours, Mary Cummins, M.Ed., IBCLC Scottsdale, AZ *********************************************** 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