I taught a breastfeeding Peer Counseling course last week and had an
incredible experience with one of our students. She is a WIC mom with
six children including a premie who was born two days before the
training.  Her water broke at 23 weeks and they treated her with
steroids and she delivered after 3 days.  This is her second very
small premie.  The first is 3 now and a little developmentally
delayed but otherwise fine.  The first was 1# 2oz and this little guy
is 1# 5 oz (610 gms) and has lost to 560 gms.  He is doing great so
far.  He only needed a little assisted breathing and a little oxygen-
24% when room is 21%.  He is now breathing entirely on his own with
23% blow by oxygen.  Mom was supposed to hold him Thursday (5 days
old). And they were going to give him his first drops of
colostrum/milk.  She was pumping in class every 2 hours and we were
celebrating her growing supply.  The hospital has been very
supportive of her breastfeeding and have requested 1 oz per day. She
was never able to get her last premie to the breast, but maintains he
was exclusively breastfed, he never had formula, she pumped and
provided breast milk for 15 months.  Her goal this time is to get the
baby to breast. As an African-American mom she is a tremendous role-
model for other mothers in her area and also for other mothers whose
babies are in this level III nursery. I was concerned about her being
in class and not at the hospital, but I finally realized that staying
busy was her coping mechanism.  She carried a beeper all the time and
would cook dinner for her family two days at once so she could spend
more time at the hospital in the evenings.  She said she would go
crazy staying at home or sitting in the hospital and then she
wouldn't be any use to any of her kids.  She had an upbeat attitude
and was a joy to have in class. What an inspiration! The whole class
was a study in commitment and determination to breastfeed in
difficult circumstances, One mother had lost a son at 16 days and had
pumped and provided breast milk, some moms were single, some were
going to school, all were working some and all were breastfeeding
their babies for extended periods of time with little or no support
and a lot of pressure from their families to stop.  One woman said
that any woman who REALLY wants to breastfeed her baby can find a way,
 that if someone really wants to breastfeed they can overcome any
obstacle standing in their way.  These women had a sense of personal
power and commitment to breastfeeding that was awesome. Well, I just
wanted to share this with someone who would understand how important
this work is.  Please keep Darrell and his mom in your thoughts and
prayers and visualize him growing big and latching on and visualize
his mother with fountains of milk and sustenance through our
collective support.  Thanks, Cathy Liles