Pat that was beautiful!  I couldn't have said it better!  You have helped me
organize my thoughts for a presentation I will be  doing in Dec.  Thank you!

 Chris Betzold NP IBCLC
*Who uses several approaches to meet her goals and those of Healthy People
2010. On e of which is at:<A HREF="www.starfireinternational.net/breastfed">www.starfireinternational.net/breastfed</A>


>Today there are different approaches to reaching our goals. Some of us work
in hospitals advocating for mothers and babies by changing policy, some are
in private practice "picking up the pieces", some are in
childbirth/breastfeeding education working from the prevention angle, some
are working in the political arena with employment or public breastfeeding
policies, some are doing research, some display T-shirts and bumper
stickers, some are writing books, some are working to keep our profession
strong and informed, and some are meeting the needs of mothers in
support-group settings. (I have probably omitted some areas in which women
are busy working for mothers, babies and families.) *We are all on the same
side*, doing the work in a way that fits our style, and we serve our common
cause best when we do our part without judging someone else for not doing
it our way. We need many different approaches because this is a
multi-faceted challenge.

There is still a need for the mother/mother support just as there is need
for professional research and publishing and all of the rest. We are not
asking Peter Hartman and Tom Hale to sit with a mother who is struggling
with a MIL who is trying to undermine the new mother's confidence in her
capacity to nourish her infant. We don't expect the hospital-based LC to
help a mother guide her 3-year-old in resolving his jealousy issues. (But I
expect some of you are asked anyway.) We don't expect Liz Baldwin to work
with a mother in improving her family's nutrition so that baby can go from
Perfect Food to very good table food.

We have different jobs in our common goal of every baby who can possible
can will feed at her mother's breast for as long as she wants/needs to.

Pat Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mailto:[log in to unmask]

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