As important breastfeeding is for babies going into surgery or coming out of same, I believe that just as important is the opportunity for a family member (mother, father, whomever baby/child needs most at that time) to be availalbe as soon as possilbe and as much as possible before and after the surgery. My son had long been weaned (by more than a year) when he had to have a surgical procedure that required general anesthesia. He came out of recovery very quickly and went directly into my waiting arms in the rocking chair where his vitals were check from that position. It helped me get over my tears of relief and his at having tossed his cookies as a result of the general (even tho he had nothing to eat after midnight). Had I not been able to touch and hold him, I would have been more of a basket case than I was. Happily, we left the hospital 4 hours later and his primary memory of the place was that the nurses wore purple hose and there was a GIANT bear in the reception area! (he was 4 at the time). Let's hear it for hospitals recognizing the importance of parenting at times of stress and great concern. Def. of LC service: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Homewood, IL)- [log in to unmask] WEB PAGE: http://www.mcs.com/~auerbach/lactation.html