>It is true that I sometimes see a woman with incredibly damaged, sore,
>bleeding nipples or repeated mastitis or other major challenges who
>struggles on and continues breastfeeding despite all the challenges, and
>another woman who stops breastfeeding because of what seems to me like a
>minor problem. But I don't know what that problem is in the context of her
>whole life.

or in the context of her understanding of breastfeeding.  I figure unless a
child is truly *unwanted*, the mother is doing her very best for the child,
within the limits of her perceptions.

We work a lot harder to stay out of holes than we do to climb trees.  If a
mother sees formula as a deep dark hole in the flat plain of her mothering
experience, she'll work really hard to stay out of it.  If she sees
breastfeeding as a tree on that flat plain that simply offers a nicer view,
she'll probably quit trying to climb it as soon as she realizes it doesn't
come with an escalator.
--
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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