I just wanted to thank Ann Calandro for the wonderful message about
snacking days and growing days.  I rather suspect that if moms kept a
pumping diary when they go home from appointments with us (or when we
pack up our bags and go) that the diary might have notations like
"couldn't face pumping one more time" or "turned off alarm, rolled over
and went back to sleep."  Sometimes we (or at least I) can get so
enmeshed in the "early and often" - and I know how important that is --
that I forget that all this equipment is just an adjunct to the love that
a mom has for her baby.  The stress and fatigue are such an important
part of the individual responses to mothering and lactation!
      I also liked the Globe article about helping mothers sort out their
feelings about staying home.  I'm going to dig out an old Pennypress
reprint about weighing risks, benefits and finances, to see if it stills
reads as well as I remember.  I had a mom who hired a babysitter to come
to work with her after reading it (a small inheritance from a greataunt
or some such thing, and the mom decided the best heritage for her lovely
babe was breastmilk from mom - in person - as often as possible!).
     I am enjoying this dialogue immensely.  I live in a small village in
southeastern VT and am continuing my ADN studies...spent two days last
week at Dartmouth Hitchcock and am mightily impressed with the lovely,
knowledgeable and caring nurses and (2) IBCLCs there...
Dawn M. Kersula, FACCE, IBCLC  ([log in to unmask])
  (there cannot be a crisis today...my schedule is already full)