Dear All,

My name is Aileen Emerling.  I am a La Leche League Leader in Tokyo.I am
also the Area Professional Liaison for Asia.  I have been reading
Lactnet since 97.  I have enjoyed what I have read and been made aware
of by the many talented and lovely people who make up Lactnet.

I joined Lactnet because I wanted to learn more. And let me tell you-
I'm indebted.

I am writing in response to Mary Kay Smiths post on defensiveness.

I think that we can all learn from what one another can share.  I hope
that questions from those of us who have been around the block a few
times- as well as from those of us who haven't are-all- welcome.

Sometimes  rethinking the basics- the quote unquote simple stuff-
actually teaches us something or give us a new way to think about
things. I like to see questions asked because someone often puts in a
suggestion that I wouldn't have thought of or didn't readily come to
mind or I forgot could be an effective tool in that situation.
And who's to say we can't learn from simple questions. (Or that perhaps
some HCPs are lurking and might learn from basic clarifications too!)

Its important to encourage those who have queries how and where they can
find information and support and to keep asking and keeping looking.
Questions are how we learn.

What makes a professional forum a professional forum?
Do we all need a certain qualification or demonstrated skill level
before we may be allowed to ask?  I hope not.  I think that if someone
who is new has been reading is interested and feels that welcomed he/she
will write and ask those questions. (And isn't that exactly what we want
to do- encourage discussion.)

To quote from Coach Smith Rules:
# 4 No one knows everything
#5 There is another way.

I think that one of the most professional things we can do is to find
effective ways to share what we know about breastfeeding. Professional,
for me means working together as a group to learn more and gain more
from each other so everyone benefits.

Because the bottom line is that there are many mothers who need help. So
let's encourage those who want to know more to learn.  And give them
tools like discussion, articles and information to help further their
knowledge and pass the torch on to the next person.

You know its funny, there has been discussion about how to educate HCPs
and how to get changes in hosptial or nursery policies- We are all
asking "How do we get them to listen?" Now we have people on our list
who want to listen.

What shall we choose to say?

Respectfully,

Aileen (qualified to learn)
mailto:[log in to unmask]

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