1-Three biological daughters- all breastfed, vegetarian for most of their
lives (so no hormones leached in their diet through animal sources).  Mom
(me) was not breastfed and began menses at age 11.  My sisters were
breastfed and all  began at about the same age.  All three girls began
between age 11-12.  I think it's mostly genetic.

2-I saw someone use a 20cc syringe with the top cut off and reinserted
"backwards"  once and tried it in a difficult case of inverted nipples so I
also began using this technique.  It is helpful for a "quick fix" and the
nurses on the floor love it because they feel they can do SOMETHING!  It is
a short term solution though, since the nipples pop back in pretty quickly.
After a couple of days of  using a pump, breast shells and the syringe the
problem is often corrected.  (now if I could only get the OBs to check out
the moms nipples before and prescribe shells........ and the night nurses
not to shove a bottle in the babies' mouth every chance they get... but I
digress.)

3-I once took a parenting course (STEP) where EVER SINGLE PARENT of a child
under the age of 2 was complaining about how to get the baby to sleep.  My
line was-"If we're all discussing the same problem, might it make sense that
it is NORMAL for babies not to sleep too long?" No one liked that but it
makes sense to me!!  No one ever promised me that my kids would sleep or not
cry or be well adjusted for that matter.   It kind of goes with the
parenting.  Since every parents magazine discusses sleep "problems" can we
assume this is NORMAL!!??  Sooner or later everybody sleeps.  (My husband's
comment over my shoulder is that once again we are trying to control things
we have very little control over-or probably shouldn't have control over.
Now he's on the lactnet,too)

(Falling off the soapbox now!!-Read the Family Bed -it makes sense!!)
Barbara Leshin-Zucker, BA, IBCLC
Highland Mills, NY