I can't tell you how happy I am to hear a good news story about a hospital in Manhattan that is actually increasing the staff load as Rachel. The last few years I have heard more and more disheartening stories of mothers not getting help in the hospital. I am sure that my sample of mothers is skewed towards those that did not have good care so I don't get to hear about the hospitals that are making improvements. One hospital used to have a lactation consultant that I heard a lot of complaints about, but at least she was there. Then they had one that seemed to last for a few months. Now they have no one. I get lots of calls "Will you please, please, please come to the hospital?" Then there is another hospital where they should have enough staff because they are touted as a breastfeeding friendly hospital and I still get the "please, please come" calls. I never go there because I am should I might inadvertantly step on some hospital protocol and I wait until they come home. What I would love to hear is that there some hospital in Manhattan that has adequate coverage on holidays and in August. I would love it it those of us working outside the hospital could cover holidays and August. Whenever one of us decides they will stick it out during a holiday or during August, we make a lot of money and burn out. I have finally picked the holidays I will and will not work. I always work Thankgiving morning, but reserve other holidays for my family. I was feeling hopeful this fall because I am coming up on my five year recertification. I thought, wow, now maybe we can start training more IBCLCs and build bridges to the hospital. If the scope of work stands as written, there will be no sensible person in Manhattan that would want to enter a profession that so totally limtis autonomy. Best regards, Susan Burger, MHS, PhD, 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 email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html