Hi, I have been no mail for quite awhile, but I am back.  I had a
disturbing visit with a client today at our WIC clinic.  She is pregnant
with her 3rd child.  Her second child 3 years old.  She breastfed him for
almost 2 years.  Her first child was taken away from her and is now in a
foster home - I did not go into why.

She has recently moved from California.  I was giving her some suggestions
to help her son adjust to the new baby.  She mentioned that he felt
insecure because he still sleeps with them.  They are trying everything to
get him to sleep in his own room, but he just won't do it.  She is really
concerned about this.  She mentioned that she had to get him to sleep in
his own room because it was against the law for him to sleep with them
being this old.  I asked her who told her this.  She said that it was CPS
in California.  They informed her that it was a form of child abuse.

I suggested to her to get in touch with La Leche League and to look for the
book The Family Bed.  I told her that there were quite a few people who
believe in co-family sleeping.  She felt better to know that she was not
alone.  I also told her that my nearly 3 year old daughter still sleeps
with me and I have no intentions of changing that any time soon--unless she
wants it.  She mentioned that they told her that it was different for
girls.

Has anyone ever heard of this?  I was so angry that they told this woman
this.  She is so worried about CPS coming in a taking her son because of
her first child.  Like I said, I did not go into why they took her first
child away.

I get so angry when "the government" decides that they know better about
how to raise your child than you do--whether it be educating them,
immunizing, how and what to feed them, disciplining them, how to love them
basically.

Carrie
Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
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