Laurie brought up some good points about how we may only hear the mother's side of the story and not really know what the LC before us said. I would take this a step further and ask the mother to see her written care plan, etc. Ask the mother some questions about the other consult, did they do a test weight, how long did the other LC work with her (minutes? two hours?), what suggestions were made, did she get written information, etc. I also try to call the other LC and ask her what was suggested or happened with an open mind, a respectful attitude, and not being critical sounding. A good LC doesn't mind giving you this information -- it goes both ways -- she may be calling you one day to ask the same questions. Because whatever her findings were will influence how I help this mother. And if the consultation was done poorly and the LC seems to be low skilled, perhaps by talking to her and asking questions I can nudge her competence up a bit. Some LCs don't realize how important test weights and written care plans are, or don't recognize recessed chins or bad sucking. Other times, the LC before me did a great job and the problem is that the mother is not doing her part to solve the problem or improve things. Calling the first LC is not always comfortable feeling and I know of a situation in another town where no one wants to call this one LC after they re-do her clients because she is so unpleasant. Yet mothers and babies are the ultimate losers. Kathy Eng, BSW, IBCLC *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html