I've really enjoyed all the posts about empowering women to make their own decisions about breastfeeding.  I, too, must work so hard at keeping my perspective in these situations.

Now I have another question for many of us to ponder.  I worked, and will soon be working again for WIC.  The breastfeeding rates are often abysmal.  We were very successful in increasing initiation rates in the last agency where I worked, but not as successful in increasing duration.  It is always a delema for me where this is concerned.

Our ultimate goal is to make breastfeeding the cultural norm.  I think we are making inroads in this area.  But, the bottom line is that it isn't the cultural norm.  And it may take a generation before it is.

The other problem is that the state measures successes by numbers.  If our numbers are not increasing we run the risk of our programs being eliminated.

So my question is:  How do we, as LCs for agencies such as WIC, use our supportive, nurturing skills, allowing women to be empowered to make choices, while keeping our numbers up so that we can maintain our programs?  Often these things are mutually exclusive.

Thanks to all of you who constantly keep my powers of though and reasoning well tuned!

Barbara Leshin-Zucker, IBCLC
Highland Mills, NY