Hi Jan,
Thanks for reintroducing yourself. I'm a retired LLLL and also used to work
for WIC.  I have a 19 year old son at Ithaca College incase your twins would
like to meet a nice young man who was breastfed for years!!  Anyway, I
couldn't believe your post about breast refusal, as it was exactly the same
conclusion I have come too. I had to respond because your words sounded
exactly like what I told a mom just today.

> "I'm coming to believe that the best way to manage this sort of thing is to
>>> STOP TRYING, for however long it takes. To break the cycle, to let the baby
>>> regain trust and comfort, to give the family some struggle-free times. "

 Sometimes mom and baby both need a break. You many remember the mom I wrote
about in early December whose baby started refusing the breast at 7weeks.
Moms milk supply had dropped from previous OMER.  Baby had real suck
problems.  Tried everything with various degrees of success.  Baby has
finally learned to take an Avent bottle, but sometimes even that takes
"forever" according to mom.  She had just decided to stop trying to
breastfeed and just pump. it was getting to be too much.  I could see the
relief in her eyes when I told her it was ok to just pump for awhile. and
take a break.  both of them need to relax about the whole feeding issue.  Of
course the LC in me feels partly like a failure, as the baby isn't at the
breast, but at least she is getting breast milk!
 So my question to everyone is when is Enough ENOUGH??  When does difficulty
feeding whether from sucking problems, epidurals, prematurity,etc. become
too much?  When is it time to quit trying?

Peg Merrill, IBCLC
Parkton, Maryland

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