It seems to me that there are two distinct concerns here - getting the baby to the breast and the family dynamics. Relactation after three weeks is not impossible by any means. We had a mother come to our LLL meeting fully nursing her 6 week old baby. She told us that she had had no intention of nursing and never put the baby to breast at all, but at three weeks he was persisting in rooting whenever she picked him up so she latched him on out of curiousity. Smart baby! She nursed him whenever he wanted, and he never had another bottle. Now this mother might need a little more help bringing back her milk, but an SNS should do it till her milk comes in, and she may also need some help with latching techniques too. My main concern, however, would be with the family dynamics. You wrote: >She has a full-time baby nurse (for about another month) and a husband who has stated that he will not let the baby "change their entire lives." I saw her again in public this weekend at a party, again without the baby, where she made the comment, only half-joking, that she "barely sees her child" and that she feels overwhelmed by this new responsibility. She is only 23 and has just had a traumatic birth. Even before the birth, I shared a meal with her and she seemed terrified of labor, without the excitement of becoming a new mom, so I think there were emotional issues even before the birth. Oooooh boy! I agree absolutely that breastfeeding might help her to heal the emotional wounds, but there seem to be a LOT of issues here, not the least of which is a father who wants a baby that will not disrupt their lives. I would be VERY tempted to suggest parenting classes at the very least or professional counselling at best, but somehow I doubt that this couple would take kindly to either of those suggestions. If the mother trusts you, gentle encouragement may be all that you can do. Is there a new mother's group locally where she can meet other women and see what is normal? Even better, an LLL group where she can get ongoing support for breastfeeding, if she decides to go that route. Norma Ritter, IBCLC, LLLL private practice in Big Flats, NY [log in to unmask] ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html