Yes, cohorts, you read that right.  I had a very unusual experience and had to put on a chart, in nurse to nurse information, "chooses to bottle feed, has done much reading and had much counseling, is making an informed choice, and wishes us to respect this choice without further discussion."

She has serious emotional issues concerning her breasts, has worked with a counselor (psych) as well as her OB NP, has done alot, alot of reading and feels terrible to not do this thing for her baby.  But she feels she would feel so much worse breastfeeeding that she would not in anyway be able to feel comfortable with her baby.  She has talked to several other women with similar uncomfortable feelings, most of whom tried to breastfeed and found it hateful.  She has not yet found someone with a similar beginning attitude, who went on to continue and enjoy breastfeeding.   She is doing skin to skin with her baby, co-sleeping with him in the hospital, and planning to have a "family bed" once home.

I "warned" her that the baby might latch in the middle of the night as she slept.    She said even her OB had mentioned this, and if it happens and she can tolerate it, she will certainly continue.  But she expects that not to be the scenario.  She also says her mom didn't breast feed her first two children, due to repugnance at the thought, and then fed the third with no problem.  (I wonder which my patient was).  Since my gal is planning to have more kids eventually, she says maybe she will get to the point that she can tolerate the thought and the process as well, but for right now, the idea of the baby himself is enough for her.
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On the other hand I had another mom at the same time who was learning to breast feed her second baby, not having BF the first (who is now a year old).  I met her when baby was 6 hours old, and mom was not finding the BF situation at all pleasant, and planned to stop as soon as possible.  When did I think that would be?  She thought maybe a month.   Mind you we were also speaking through a Cantonese interpreter as she speaks almost no English, and understands less.  I told her every day, week and month she gives her baby is better and better for both of them, and it was not necessary to decide right now for how long she will do it.  Over the course of the day the baby started to latch well, both sides, and pain during nursing stopped; mom learned several positions that were comfortable for her overall body (she has been suffering for months with low and middle back pain), and I taught her exercises to start relieving her back problems, as well as help her overall condition; and shared with her much information about infant-led weaning.  I even shared the comment one of you made:  asked how long you were going to breastfeed, you responded that it would depend if your son went away to college or not.  She laughed.  (My interpreter, Chinese, and himself an LVN on my unit, said he was very surprised that the joke was understood, even in Cantonese.  He said this is a different type of humor than Chinese from China usually respond to.)

When I went to say goodbye at the end of my shift, mom was happily breastfeeding her infant, with the one year old curled against her, and her husband looking on proudly.  She was grinning from ear to ear, and said quietly and oh so shyly, "I think maybe I not stop in one month."

Life in a day. . .  Chanita, San Francisco