Dear Dr. Mira, Because I teach Lamaze classes, I get to hear from a large number of new moms about their breastfeeding experiences. Most of the breastfeeding problems I see relate to the type of birth the mom had. The typical scenerio that leads to the most problems with breastfeeding is the use of the vacuum extractor often following an epidural. The vacuum contributes to babies who won't latch to breast (often bottle feeding is a problem for a while also) or baby chomps & hurts mom (bleeding nipples). In my experience, these moms have the most need for intensive bf help. When a baby needs bf help, I ask the mom about the birth, medication & interventions used. Usually that causes more bf problems than the separation. warmly, Sylvia Boyd, CLE, PT, LCCE mailto:[log in to unmask] Hayward, CA _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]