Daily Express News Story

Daily Express News Story

Use Of Elephant in War

Persians used war elephants at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. The battle raged between king Alexander the Great of Macedon and king Darius III of Persia. The Persians had 15 Indian-trained war elephants, which were placed at the centre of the Persian line, and they made such an impression on the Macedonian troops that Alexander felt the need to sacrifice to the God of Fear the night before the battle. Despite this the Persians lost the battle, relinquishing the Achaemenid Persian empire to Alexander. Elephants were later used by the Sassanids under a special chief, known as the Zend−hapet, or "Commander of the Indians," as they were from India.

History

Under the Achaemenids

The Persians are known to have used fifteen war elephants at Gaugamela, but some people^{[citation needed]} claim that they had been used previously in the Greek campaign of king Xerxes I of Persia, and even further back at the time of Darius the Great at the Indus, the Danube and against the Scythians in 512BC. Neither Xenophon nor Herodotus mention war elephants in their accounts of these earlier campaigns.

Under the Sassanids

Julian's campaign

Indian styled elephant with howdah

In 363 AD Julian the Apostate marshaled an army of 90,000 Roman troops to invade the Sassanid Territory with the intention of ravaging the Imperial capital of Ctesiphon. The Persian Shah, Shapur II, was astute enough a tactician to realize his soldiers' only chance of challenging the well-trained and better-equipped Romans was a clandestine attack. While the Romans were encamped outside the walls of the capital, the Persians launched a surprise assault onto the unsuspecting army leading with a force of heavy infantry, cataphracts and elephants. Caught unaware, the Roman soldiers fought valiantly but eventually ended up losing the battle.

During the melee, Julian foolishly charged into the conflict without his armour and was injured by an arrow. Although initially surviving, he later succumbed to the injury and died.

Belisarius remarks on Sassanid troops:

“

Right for you to despise them. For their whole infantry is nothing more than a crowd of pitiable peasants who come into battle for no other purpose than to dig through walls ... and in general to serve the soldiers. For this reason they have no weapons at all with which they might trouble their opponents, and they only hold before themselves those enormous shields and huge elephants.

”

Armenian wars

The most famous was the Battle of Avarayr (Armenian: Ավարայրի ճակատամարտ) in 451 CE, where Armenian rebels led by Vartan Mamikonian led an army of 66,000 men to gain independence from the Sassanids under Yazdegerd II, who opposed them with forces including war elephants.

Despite their victory over the rebels and the death of their leadership (including Vartan Mamikonian), Yazdegerd was generous and gave the Armenians their religious freedom.

Ghaznavid war elephants

Persians fighting elephants

In 1739, Nader Shah of Persia invaded India and led an army to their capital , Delhi but on the way he was halted by the Mughul Indian ruler Muhammad Shah and his huge army, it greatly outnumbered the Persian army. The Indians also had war elephants with them, they had blades on their tusks which they were taught to use against the enemy. Nader shah sent his pots of oil to the front lines where the goats horns were ordered to be set on fire. The goats charged at the elephants who panicked and turned around killing thousands of Indian troops just like at the battle of al-Qādisiyyah, they were proved to be "double edged weapons".

Origin and training

The elephant's thick hide protects it from injury. The high riding position gave the rider a good view but made him a visible target.

The elephants were hired as mercenary troops as well as their riders. They were from the Indian territories under Persian rule. Some historians say that some were actually from Iran itself. They were called Syrian Elephant. However, this is highly unlikely as most historians and sources do not say this is correct.

All the times Persians used war elephants they were trained by their rider called a mahout, who would also ride the elephant into battle as well. The mahout would be from Indian origin and so were the archers. Training elephants was a difficult job. They would be hard to maintain because they ate so much food and water. Also they were hard to march with as huge paths needed to be cut in order for elephants to march through. Another reason was that they were expensive to hire and sometimes would panic if they were under heavy fire from spears and arrows. Thousands of them lived in the elephant farms^{[citation needed]}. Many were kept in the shah's menagerie the most famous of which was Khosrau II where he kept a "thousand white elephants."

Weapons

Persian elephants were from Indian origin and were probably armed with Indian styled weapons. The men(excluding the driver) sat in a large tower from which troops would fight. The elephant itself would normally be armed with thin plate armour (the Sassanids used chain mail as well as thin plate armour)and would bear a large crenelated wooden howdah on its back^[1]. The troops would be armed with bow and arrows and javelin. The sworn enemy of the Sassanids, the Eastern Roman empire, were terrified by the huge beasts, making them very effective in battle. When they were used at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah, they came to be known as "double edged weapons". King ( shah ) Yazdgerd III attempted to use war elephants to fight off Arab invaders, however his elephants got sand in their eyes and panicked. They turned around and ran amok, killing their own troops.

Crushing by elephant

Louis Rousselet described this execution in "Le Tour du Monde" in 1868.

(Persian: زير پى ِپيل افكندن; literally "casting beneath an elephant's feet")

Those people that were traitors to the army, enemies of the empire and criminals were crushed by the elephants this way and executed in the age of Sassanids they also used this method of execution for training for battle.

In popular culture

• In the PC strategy game Age of Empires II the Persians' special unit is the war elephant.
• In the PC strategy game expansion pack Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots the Persians get two special unit lines, one of which is the war elephant, which it shares with India.
• In the strategy game Rome: Total War the Parthians use war elephants. In the expansion Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion the Sassanids can use war elephants as well, and in Rome Total War: Alexander the Achaemenid Persians also have them.
• Shatranj (Persian chess) - which Modern chess has gradually developed from it, same as Indian chess includes the war elephant with the name (fil),meaning elephant in Persian as the bishop

What is Yoga

Are you looking for a workout program that's easy to learn, requires little or no equipment, and soothes your soul while toning your body? If strengthening your cardiovascular system, toning and stretching your muscles, and improving your mental fitness are on your to-do list, keep reading to learn more about the basics of yoga.

What Is Yoga?

It seems like a hot new trend, but yoga actually began more than 3,000 years ago in India. The word yoga is Sanskrit (one of the ancient languages of the East). It means to "yoke," or unite, the mind, body, and spirit.

Although yoga includes physical exercise, it is also a lifestyle practice for which exercise is just one component. Training your mind, body, and breath, as well as connecting with your spirituality, are the main goals of the yoga lifestyle.

The physical part of the yoga lifestyle is called hatha yoga. Hatha yoga focuses on asanas, or poses. A person who practices yoga goes through a series of specific poses while controlling his or her breathing. Some types of yoga also involve meditation and chanting.

There are many different types of hatha yoga, including:

• Ashtanga yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced form of yoga that helps to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing.
• Bikram yoga: Bikram yoga is also known as "hot yoga." It is practiced in rooms that may be heated to more than 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius) and focuses on stamina and purification.
• Gentle yoga: Gentle yoga focuses on slow stretches, flexibility, and deep breathing.
• Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga uses different poses, breathing techniques, chanting, and meditation to awaken life energy.
• Iyengar yoga: This type of yoga focuses on precise alignment of the poses. Participants use "props" like blankets, straps, mats, blocks, and chairs.
• Restorative yoga: This practice allows the body to fully relax by holding simple postures passively for extended periods of time.
• Vinyasa/power yoga: Similar to Ashtanga yoga, these are also very active forms of yoga that improve strength, flexibility, and stamina. This type of yoga is popular in the United States.

Yoga has tons of benefits. It can improve flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. In addition, many people who practice yoga say that it reduces anxiety and stress, improves mental clarity, and even helps them sleep better.

Getting Started

Many gyms, community centers, and YMCAs offer yoga classes. Your neighborhood may also have a specialized yoga studio. Some yoga instructors offer private or semi-private classes for students who want more personalized training.

Before taking a class, check whether the instructor is registered with the Yoga Alliance, a certification that requires at least 200 hours of training in yoga techniques and teaching. You may also want to sit in and observe the class that interests you.

You could also try using a yoga DVD. Websites, DVDs, and books can't compare to learning yoga poses from a teacher, but they can help you find out more. They can be especially helpful if you have already taken yoga classes and want to practice at home.

Dress comfortably for your first yoga session in clothing that allows you to move your body fully. Stretchy shorts or pants and a T-shirt or tank top are best. Yoga is practiced barefoot, so you don't have to worry about special shoes.

If you're doing your yoga workout on a carpeted floor, you probably don't need any equipment, although many people like to use a yoga mat or "sticky" mat. This special type of mat provides cushioning and grip while you do your poses. You can buy yoga mats in sporting goods stores or often at the yoga class location.

What can you expect at a yoga class or when you watch a yoga video? To begin the class, the instructor may lead you through a series of poses like Sun Salutations to warm up your arms, legs, and spine. After that, you'll concentrate on specific poses that work different areas of your body. Most yoga sessions end with some type of relaxation exercise.

Before you begin any type of exercise program, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor, especially if you have a health problem. Be sure to let your instructor know about any orthopedic problems or special needs you may have before the class begins. A good instructor will be able to provide modified poses for students who are just beginning or who have special needs.

Staying on Track

Your schedule's already packed — so how are you supposed to fit in time for yoga? Here are a few tips:

• Break it down. If you can't do a half hour of yoga in one sitting, try doing it in chunks. How about 15 minutes after you get up and 15 minutes before bed? Or try three 10-minute workouts to break up a long study session.
• Do what works for you. Some people have more success working out in the morning before the day's activities sidetrack them; others find that an after-school workout is the perfect way to unwind. Experiment with working out at different times of the day and find the time that fits your schedule and energy level best.
• Find a workout buddy. Doing your yoga routines with a friend is a great way to stay motivated. You'll be less likely to miss your workout if you have an appointment with a friend. You and your buddy can compare tips on healthy eating and exercise habits, evaluate each other's poses for form, and keep each other on track.
• Consistency is key. If you want to reap the benefits that yoga provides, you'll have to do it consistently. A once-a-month yoga workout may relieve some stress, but for benefits like increased flexibility and stamina, you should aim to practice yoga three or four times a week. It generally takes about 4 to 6 weeks of regular exercise at least 3 days a week for your body to begin to release the endorphins that make exercise such an uplifting experience.
• Set some goals. The same routine every week may become monotonous, so set some goals to help you stay focused. Perhaps you'd like to incorporate power yoga into your routine so you get a better cardiovascular workout. Maybe you've always gone to yoga class and your goal is to start practicing on your own at home. Whatever you choose as your goal, make sure you reward yourself when you accomplish it!

The great thing about yoga is it can be as vigorous or as gentle as you want it to be. That makes it a good choice for anybody.

History of Library

A library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection itself, the building or room that houses such a collection, or both. The term "library" has itself acquired a secondary meaning: "a collection of useful material for common use." This sense is used in fields such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, electronics and biology. It can also be used by publishers in naming series of related books, e.g. The Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology.

Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not to — or cannot afford to — purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs. Libraries often provide a place of silence for studying.

Today's libraries are repositories and access points for print, audio, and visual materials in numerous formats, including maps, prints, documents, microform (microfilm/microfiche), audio tapes, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, video games, e-books, audiobooks and many other electronic resources. Libraries often provide public facilities to access to their electronic resources and the Internet. Modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. They are extending services beyond the physical walls of a building, by providing material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of information with a variety of digital tools.

Early history

The first libraries were composed for the most part, of published records, a particular type of library called archives. Archaeological findings from the ancient city-states of Sumer have revealed temple rooms full of clay tablets in cuneiform script. These archives were made up almost completely of the records of commercial transactions or inventories, with only a few documents devoted to theological matters, historical records or legends. Things were much the same in the government and temple records on papyrus of Ancient Egypt.

The earliest discovered private archives were kept at Ugarit; besides correspondence and inventories, texts of myths may have been standardized practice-texts for teaching new scribes. There is also evidence of libraries at Nippur about 1900 B.C. and those at Nineveh about 700 B.C. showing a library classification system. Another early organization system was in effect at Alexandria.

Over 30,000 clay tablets from the Library of Ashurbanipal have been discovered at Nineveh, providing archaeologists with an amazing wealth of Mesopotamian literary, religious and administrative work. Among the findings were the Enuma Elish, also known as the Epic of Creation, which depicts a traditional Babylonian view of creation, the Epic of Gilgamesh, a large selection of "omen texts" including Enuma Anu Enlil which "contained omens dealing with the moon, its visibility, eclipses, and conjunction with planets and fixed stars, the sun, its corona, spots, and eclipses, the weather, namely lightning, thunder, and clouds, and the planets and their visibility, appearance, and stations", and astronomic/astrological texts, as well as standard lists used by scribes and scholars such as word lists, bilingual vocabularies, lists of signs and synonyms, and lists of medical diagnoses.

Libraries in the Hellenic world and Rome

Inscription regarding Tiberius Claudius Balbilus of Rome (d. c. AD 79), which confirms that the Library of Alexandria must have existed in some form in the first century.^{[citation needed]}

Private or personal libraries made up of non-fiction and fiction books (as opposed to the state or institutional records kept in archives) appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC. The celebrated book collectors of Hellenistic Antiquity were listed in the late 2nd century in Deipnosophistae:

Polycrates of Samos and Pisistratus who was tyrant of Athens, and Euclides who was himself also an Athenian and Nicorrates of Samos and even the kings of Pergamos, and Euripides the poet and Aristotle the philosopher, and Nelius his librarian; from whom they say our countryman Ptolemæus, surnamed Philadelphus, bought them all, and transported them, with all those which he had collected at Athens and at Rhodes to his own beautiful Alexandria.

All these libraries were Greek; the cultivated Hellenized diners in Deipnosophistae pass over the libraries of Rome in silence. By the time of Augustus there were public libraries near the forums of Rome: there were libraries in the Porticus Octaviae near the Theatre of Marcellus, in the temple of Apollo Palatinus, and in the Bibliotheca Ulpiana in the Forum of Trajan. The state archives were kept in a structure on the slope between the Roman Forum and the Capitoline Hill.

Private libraries appeared during the late republic: Seneca inveighed against libraries fitted out for show by aliterate owners who scarcely read their titles in the course of a lifetime, but displayed the scrolls in bookcases (armaria) of citrus wood inlaid with ivory that ran right to the ceiling: "by now, like bathrooms and hot water, a library is got up as standard equipment for a fine house (domus). Libraries were amenities suited to a villa, such as Cicero's at Tusculum, Maecenas's several villas, or Pliny the Younger's, all described in surviving letters. At the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, apparently the villa of Caesar's father-in-law, the Greek library has been partly preserved in volcanic ash; archaeologists speculate that a Latin library, kept separate from the Greek one, may await discovery at the site.

In the West, the first public libraries were established under the Roman Empire as each succeeding emperor strove to open one or many which outshone that of his predecessor. Unlike the Greek libraries, readers had direct access to the scrolls, which were kept on shelves built into the walls of a large room. Reading or copying was normally done in the room itself. The surviving records give only a few instances of lending features. As a rule, Roman public libraries were bilingual: they had a Latin room and a Greek room. Most of the large Roman baths were also cultural centers, built from the start with a library, a two room arrangement with one room for Greek and one for Latin texts.

Remains of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.

Libraries were filled with parchment scrolls as at Library of Pergamum and on papyrus scrolls as at Alexandria: the export of prepared writing materials was a staple of commerce. There were a few institutional or royal libraries which were open to an educated public (such as the Serapeum collection of the Library of Alexandria, once the largest library in the ancient world),^[2] but on the whole collections were private. In those rare cases where it was possible for a scholar to consult library books there seems to have been no direct access to the stacks. In all recorded cases the books were kept in a relatively small room where the staff went to get them for the readers, who had to consult them in an adjoining hall or covered walkway.

In the 6th century, at the very close of the Classical period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria. Cassiodorus, minister to Theodoric, established a monastery at Vivarium in the heel of Italy with a library where he attempted to bring Greek learning to Latin readers and preserve texts both sacred and secular for future generations. As its unofficial librarian, Cassiodorus not only collected as many manuscripts as he could, he also wrote treatises aimed at instructing his monks in the proper uses of reading and methods for copying texts accurately. In the end, however, the library at Vivarium was dispersed and lost within a century.

Through Origen and especially the scholarly presbyter Pamphilus of Caesarea, an avid collector of books of Scripture, the theological school of Caesarea won a reputation for having the most extensive ecclesiastical library of the time, containing more than 30,000 manuscripts: Gregory Nazianzus, Basil the Great, Jerome and others come studied there.

With education firmly in Christian hands, however, many of the works of classical antiquity were no longer considered useful.^{[citation needed]} Old texts were washed off and the valuable parchment and papyrus were reused, forming palimpsests. As scrolls gave way to the new book-form, the codex was universally used for Christian literature. Old manuscript scrolls were cut apart and used to stiffen leather bindings.

Ancient Chinese libraries

A cabinet of books in the Tian Yi Chamber, the oldest extant library in China, dating to 1561.

The imperial library is the earliest known Chinese library, with history dating back to the Qin Dynasty. Han Chinese scholar Liu Hsiang established the first library classification system during the Han Dynasty, and the first book notation system. At this time the library catalog was written on scrolls of fine silk and stored in silk bags.

Islamic libraries

Upon the spread of Islam, libraries in newly Islamic lands knew a brief period of expansion in the Middle East, North Africa, Sicily and Spain. Like the Christian libraries, they mostly contained books which were made of paper, and took a codex or modern form instead of scrolls; they could be found in mosques, private homes, and universities, from Timbuktu to Afghanistan. In Aleppo, for example, the largest and probably the oldest mosque library, the Sufiya, located at the city's Grand Umayyad Mosque, contained a large book collection of which 10,000 volumes were reportedly bequeathed by the city's most famous ruler, Prince Sayf al-Dawla.^[13] Some mosques sponsored public libraries. Ibn al-Nadim's bibliography Fihrist demonstrates the devotion of medieval Muslim scholars to books and reliable sources; it contains a description of thousands of books circulating in the Islamic world circa 1000, including an entire section for books about the doctrines of other religions. Modern Islamic libraries for the most part do not hold these antique books; many were lost, destroyed by Mongols, or removed to European libraries and museums during the colonial period.

Qur'an manuscript on display at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

By the 8th century first Iranians and then Arabs had imported the craft of papermaking from China, with a paper mill already at work in Baghdad in 794. By the 9th century completely public libraries started to appear in many Islamic cities. They were called "halls of Science" or dar al-'ilm. They were each endowed by Islamic sects with the purpose of representing their tenets as well as promoting the dissemination of secular knowledge. The 9th century Abbasid Caliph al-Mutawakkil of Iraq, even ordered the construction of a ‘zawiyat qurra literally an enclosure for readers which was `lavishly furnished and equipped.' In Shiraz Adhud al-Daula (d. 983) set up a library, described by the medieval historian, al-Muqaddasi, as`a complex of buildings surrounded by gardens with lakes and waterways. The buildings were topped with domes, and comprised an upper and a lower story with a total, according to the chief official, of 360 rooms.... In each department, catalogues were placed on a shelf... the rooms were furnished with carpets...'.^[15] The libraries often employed translators and copyists in large numbers, in order to render into Arabic the bulk of the available Persian, Greek, Roman and Sanskrit non-fiction and the classics of literature. This flowering of Islamic learning ceased centuries later when learning began declining in the Islamic world, after many of these libraries were destroyed by Mongol invasions. Others were victim of wars and religious strife in the Islamic world. However, a few examples of these medieval libraries, such as the libraries of Chinguetti in West Africa, remain intact and relatively unchanged even today. Another ancient library from this period which is still operational and expanding is the Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi in the Iranian city of Mashhad, which has been operating for more than six centuries.

A number of distinct features of the modern library were introduced in the Islamic world, where libraries not only served as a collection of manuscripts as was the case in ancient libraries, but also as a public library and lending library, a center for the instruction and spread of sciences and ideas, a place for meetings and discussions, and sometimes as a lodging for scholars or boarding school for pupils. The concept of the library catalogue was also introduced in medieval Islamic libraries, where books were organized into specific genres and categories.

The contents of these Islamic libraries were copied by Christian monks in Muslim/Christian border areas, particularly Spain and Sicily. From there they eventually made their way into other parts of Christian Europe. These copies joined works that had been preserved directly by Christian monks from Greek and Roman originals, as well as copies Western Christian monks made of Byzantine works. The resulting conglomerate libraries are the basis of every modern library today

Importance of Breastfeeding

Can you remember when you first learnt to dance, ride a bike, use a computer or put on make-up? You probably started out not really knowing what you were doing and making a few mistakes, but with time and practice you eventually got it right.

Like learning any new skill, breastfeeding can take patience and perseverance to get right. Producing breastmilk may be a natural process, but the art of actually breastfeeding needs to be learned.

We used to learn this skill from the older women in our community; our mothers, aunties and grandmothers who had breastfed before us, but this is often not possible in the 21st century.

Breastfeeding can be challenging in the early days for many mothers. How do you hold your baby and make sure they attach correctly? Is it supposed to hurt? How often should your baby be feeding? How do you know if your baby is getting enough milk?

It is normal to have ups and downs in the first weeks. Some mothers will have more downs than ups and need lots of extra assistance. However, with the right support and information, most mothers can breastfeed successfully.

If breastfeeding is not going well, there are many sources of help and it is OK to ask for help and support. And to keep asking if you still don't feel things are working! The majority of difficulties are temporary, but can feel insurmountable if the right help isn't available.

Research all over the world shows breastfeeding is very important for babies and mothers. It really makes a difference if babies are breastfed,even for some of the time.

Breastfeeding shouldn't be like being on a diet where if you 'fall off the wagon' by sneaking a few chocolate biscuits you feel you are a failure and have to give up your diet forever. It's OK if your baby is not fully breastfed for a while because of temporary problems. Any breastmilk is better than none at all and further down the track you may be able to fully breastfeed again.

Breastmilk is human milk. It is the perfect food for human babies as it provides everything a little human needs to grow and develop to their full potential - physically, mentally and emotionally.

In developing nations, breastfeeding can be the difference between life and death for a new baby as they have an 8 times lower chance of dying than formula-fed babies.

In Australia, we have an advanced health care system so the effect of not breastfeeding may be less dramatic in the short term. However, even in industrialised countries like ours a baby is 6 times less likely to be hospitalised if they are breastfed than if they are formula-fed.

This is because breastmilk contains anti-bodies and proteins that protect babies from illness and disease. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of:

• allergies
• eczema
• asthma
• diabetes
• childhood cancers such as lymphoma
• obesity
• SIDS

Breastmilk contains all the nutrients a baby needs for at least the first 6 months of their life and continues to be the most important part of their diet throughout the first year. It is a living fluid, constantly changing to meet the needs of a growing baby.

The unique combination of fatty acids and other components in breastmilk contribute to optimal brain development. And yes, breastmilk contains all the things you see advertised on TV like Omega 3! All in perfect quantities for your individual baby.

Breastfeeding is good for mothers too! Breastfeeding helps mothers' bodies return to their pre-pregnant state more quickly and many women also find they lose excess weight while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding also reduces a woman's risk of cancer of the breast and ovaries, heart disease and osteoporosis.

It is also very convenient, cheap and portable and can be the perfect way to soothe a grumpy baby! It is very reassuring for mothers to be breastfeeding when they have to deal with natural disasters like storms, blackouts, bushfires, floods or even being delayed for hours by a traffic accident. Breastfeeding is also not just about nutrition, but about bonding and spending time with your baby.

Breastfeeding can be a simple way mothers can contribute to a better world. The production and feeding of breastmilk has a far lower impact on our environment and world resources than any alternative feeding method. Breastfeeding saves food resources, fuel and energy. No packaging is required and no chemicals are needed.

But most of all, many many mothers find breastfeeding an enjoyable, positive and uplifting experience.

There are many places you can go to for help if you have questions about or difficulties with breastfeeding.

Hospital
If you have recently given birth, you may be eligible for ongoing help from your hospital. Some hospitals have a lactation consultant you can visit or who may visit you. Others have an infant feeding clinic where you can stay for a few hours or a day to get assistance. In private hospitals, there may be an extra charge for this, or you may be covered free for a certain period of time after giving birth.

Australian Breastfeeding Association
The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) is a large, non-profit organisation that educates and supports mothers who want to breastfeed their babies.

The ABA offers a free 7-day telephone helpline nationwide, as well as email counselling, information and a forum on their website. You can find out the 7-day helpline number for your state by visiting the website or phoning the ABA Head Office on 03 9885 0855.

All the ABA's breastfeeding counsellors are volunteers and are mothers who have breastfed their own baby or babies. They undergo a comprehensive 12-month training course so they can help and support other mothers. They are great to talk to because they've 'been there too' and can empathise with the difficulties of other mothers as well as providing helpful suggestions on how to get things sorted.

The ABA also has mother support groups in most local areas that meet once or twice a month and a bi-monthly magazine with articles on breastfeeding and early parenting.

Private lactation consultant is a health professional such as a nurse or midwife who has had extra specific training in breastfeeding (lactation). Some lactation consultants operate through hospitals and child health services, while others are in private practice.

A lactation consultant in private practice will generally visit you at home for an hour at least and the consultation may also include follow up visits or telephone assistance. There is usually a fee, anything from about $50 per hour upwards.

A qualified lactation consultant is called an IBCLC or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. It is worth finding out if the lactation consultant you will see is an IBCLC. Many lactation consultants are also members of the Australian Lactation Consultants Association or one of the state colleges of lactation consultants.

To find a private lactation consultant in your local area, consult our directory.

Day Stay Clinic
Some hospitals and other organisations offer a breastfeeding or mother and baby clinic where you can visit for a day or sometimes longer and receive assistance from trained staff. You often don't need to be an ex-patient of the hospital. You usually need to book in advance and there may be a waiting list.

You and your baby go to the clinic and several feeds are observed and staff will offer advice and suggestions on your problems. There is usually a fee, but you may be able to claim some back from Medicare or your private health insurance (check with the clinic).

Child Health Centre
Your child health nurse may be able to assist with breastfeeding problems (some are even qualified lactation consultants). Different parts of Australia have different child health services but generally you will have access to home visits from a child health nurse or visit them at their clinic regularly. Some have open sessions where you can visit without an appointment. Some local authorities also have a visiting lactation consultant service or a day stay clinic that your child health nurse can refer you to