I was interested in Kathy Liles comment about the HMONG woman who breastfed
in her home country, but bottle fed her first 2 born in America because she
never *saw* any one breastfeed.  My observation visiting tribal villages in
Northern Thailand was that the un-married women wore different clothing
(costume) than married women.  Generaly the single women wore shifts or one
piece garments that don't open at the front.  ALL married women wore
garments- usually two piece- that open at the front.  How else would they
attend to the normal commerce of their lives and feed their babies!  It was
not unusual to see a toddler on this mother's back in a sling leaning around
to her breast while the mother continued whatever task was at hand.

I remember a sad story- more than 10 years ago in the New Yorker on how Hill
Tribe refugees settled in America.  A young mother Hmong hung herself
because she was told by her American sponsor that she should not breastfeed
her baby in public."It just isn't the way we do things here" she was told.
This poor woman felt that she had shamed her family.   Words- even well
meant ones can have awsome power!    Nancy Sherwood   Perth, Australia