Dear all:

I mean NO offense to the vast majority of IBCLCs who are RNs and work in hospitals --- 
this is one important avenue for lactation.  However, I have to admit that I am quite 
shocked by how severe the imbalance is among IBCLCs.  This SHOULD be a profession 
that is balanced by meeting the needs of women BEFORE the birth --- even backing into 
education of girls, DURING the process of birth which is a VERY short interval of time --- 
and LONG AFTER birth which can be up to five years or more.  

While we do provide clinical services, there should be AT LEAST if not greater emphasis 
on prevention of problems and promotion of healthy infant feeding practices.  I do not see 
that in the statistics that follow:

74% of IBCLCs are RNs
6% are MDs
1% are LPNs

64% of IBCLCs are working in hospitals
3.5% are working in a physician's office
5% are working in private practice

Where is the community outreach in these statistics?  If we are to  ever succeed  as 
being more than just a profession that assists mothers in the first 3-4 days of their 
infant's life, predominantly in a hospital setting, this huge imbalance needs to be 
rectified.  We need OTHER professions to enrich how we practice --- we NEED more 
IBCLCs outside the hospital --- we NEED more than a medical model because so much of 
breastfeeding is about interacting with the mother infant dyad and assisting them to 
develop a healthy relationship to feeding.

We should have an active network of interaction between birthing centers, hospitals and 
those who work with mothers BEFORE and AFTER the short window of the birth.  Seems to 
me the pyramid is upside down.

Best regards, Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome