Hi All,

Carrie's response "You all know what breastfeeding means to a woman" underscores the importance of excellent counseling skills. Most of us have "been in her shoes," so to speak, at least for the breastfeeding part. However, more importantly and especially for those who haven't worn those shoes, is the ability to truly relate / validate her own deep commitment / investment in breastfeeding that matters a LOT. And that translates to how we talk to mothers. In all we do, in all our courses and classses, in all our 1:1 encounters with moms - a primary issue is that breastfeeding is important to the MOTHER. 

If we don't connect with a mother (or colleague, for that matter) quickly and accurately on a "feeling" level, by using good counseling skills, all our good information will fall on deaf ears or solid ground. La Leche League's "Human Relations Enrichment" is an excellent quick course in counseling, aimed at our specific situations. I highly recommend it for all lactation consultants, peer counselors, etc etc.  If you can't get to where it's taught, get the programmed text from LLL and work through it. IMHO, of course.

One more thought - for breastfeeding to be or become important to the mother, the baby must be important to the mother, and the mother must feel important herself.  I'm not going to tackle this one today!

Linda Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC - private practice, Dayton OH
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
Web site http://www.bflrc.com/bflrc.htm