Vickie wrote:

"Some of the practices at this hospital SAY they promote breastfeeding and
bonding, but their practices just clearly do NOT. This is really frustrating
to me. I don't want to make any waves in the beginning and don't want to be
a
trouble maker, but I surely would like to see some changes there. Just not
sure how to go about it."

Yup, it's a tough spot to be in, and now that you've found lactnet you can
"talk" any time you can to lots of folks that have been there! If I had
anything useful to say about your situation it would be this: Small changes
(sometimes incredibly small) made over a period of time will make a big
difference. I think the strongest thing you can do while you're still the
new kid on the block is to win people over with sugar rather than vinegar -
that's not to say just go along being fake and phony, but rather to let the
positive side of yourself shine out. Treating people (co-workers, patients,
everybody you come into contact with) with respect and acceptance, and
letting your self be the message and the messenger, will win way faster and
more effectively than coming in with both barrels blasting. What a Pollyanna
I sound like! But I know (from having been there) that when you carry the
integrity and worth of what you stand for into every interaction, without
being a yes-man, acceptance for what you say will grow, and before you know
it change will happen.

And Never, ever forget - you never know when something you have said or done
makes a huge difference in someone's life. I had no clue about this at
first, but after I had been on OB for a couple of years, folks started
coming back in for their next babies and saying "Oh, you're the one that
said...and it helped so much!" Now, there are folks in my town whose kids
are 13, 14 years old, who still come up to me on the street and say "you're
the one that taught me to breastfeed" (while the poor adolescent in question
stands there squirming - healthy-looking kids, though - less pimply than
many!)

So there's my sermonette for the day! Good luck!

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY