Well, as if the Prevention Guide article was not enough,Maureen Nelson sent
me a copy of this article that appeared in the NY Daily News about two weeks
ago...  If you want to write a letter, an address is at the end of the post.


                 "FORMULA FOR SUCCESS"
 BY LENORE SKENAZY

     Ah, breast-feeding. What could be more natural?  Well, how about hanging
 upside down by your toenails, whistling Dixie?
                     <snip>
      While doctors recommend breast-feeding over bottle-feeding because
mom's
 milk contains valuable antibodies and nutrients, a plethora of problems can
 greet even the most eager nursers.  It is the pain, first of all, that
shocks
 new mothers.
      "Like razor blades in your breasts," says school psychologist Pam
 Reininger.
      "Hot needles," says Harlem Hospital administrator Deborah Williams.
      "I cried!" says Jeffre Gravely, a Staten Island mother of two.  "I
 cried!  I cried!"
      Most women do.

      "If the baby isn't latched on properly, yes, it can be uncomfortable,"
 confirms Karen Goodman, Beth Israels's coordinator of parent and family
 education.  But "uncomfortable" is to nipples what "damp" is to the Titanic.

      Lactation experts insist that proper positioning of the baby on the
 breast eliminates most pain.  "Bring the baby to the breast, not the breast
 to the baby," is their mantra.  They add that it's important to make sure
the
 baby's mouth is as wide open as possible when sucking.  And they recommend
 letting one's breasts dry in the open air for quickest healing.  However,
 once a nipple is cracked and sore, waiting for it to toughen up can be
 excruciating.
      "I literally have scars today," says Kaplan, whose youngest child is
 four.

      <snip>

      But women whose babies never learn to latch on, or whose milk never
 comes in, miss out on that experience.  Worse, they often blame themselves.

      Lactation experts warn against giving bottles to a breast-feeding baby
 becasue infants can get so used to the artificial nipples that they reject
 the breast entirely.  But sometimes the bottle becomes necessary.
      "My baby latched on beautifully," recalls Reininger, whose girl just
 turned one.  "She sucked vigorously for 23 of 24 hours a day, and I was
 losing sleep.  Then,  after a week, I was dressing her to go the doctor and
 she looked like a plucked chicken."  The pediatrician examined the infant,
 smelled her breath and announced:  "Your baby hasn't eaten in a week."
      Some women's milk simply does not come in.  Some women get their milk
 but not enough.  While these conditions are not that common, any women who
 suspects her child isn't getting enough to eat should be aware of the
warning
 signs of dehydration.         <snip>

      Breast-feeding can be a wonderful thing for mother and baby- when it
 works.  But when it doesn't, there is no shame in bottle-feeding.  It could
 even save a baby's life.

          END OF ARTICLE.

If you'd like to let the folks at the NY Daily News know what you
think about this article, their address is:

     NY DAILY NEWS
     450 W. 33d St.
     New York, N.Y.  10001

Happy letter writing!