I just signed on to Lactnet for the first time last week, and I am thrilled
to have such a vast wealth of bf knowledge at my fingertips!  I am an RN,
CLE, working on the mother/baby care unit of a large medical center in Los
Angeles. I also maintain a pump rental station, & am an ILCA member.  I will
be working toward getting certified as a childbirth educator, and following
that, my goal is to take (and pass) the IBCLE.

 My maternity leave is ending with my return to work tomorrow (I have a
daughter age 2 and a son age 3 months).  While I have very mixed feelings
about my return, I am looking forward to helping the newborns and their
mothers get off to the right start with bf.  It is an ongoing struggle to get
our hospital to earn Baby Friendly status, and it seems as if I'm the only
one who cares about getting it.  We give a lot of lip service to promoting
bf, but in reality the support is not always there.  We have no LC, & with
the current short length of stay and patient:nurse ratios, we are hard
pressed to equip our new mothers with all they need to know before discharge
(just like many other places around the country, I'm sure).

While I am the designated bf expert on our unit, I am aware of my
limitations.  It's  great to know that I have you all as a resource.  I've
learned so much just in the last week from reading the postings on Lactnet.
 I look forward to continuing to increase my bf knowledge base by benefitting
from your expertise.  Thanks!!