----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gonneke van veldhuizen" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:23 AM
Subject: Re: [LACTNET] What's in a name?


> Dear friends,

**Hello all,

> This is an interesting theme (though I'm indeed not interested in USA 
> reimbursement).
> When we started as LC's in The Netherlands we, too, of course, had to 
> think about the title. We very fast decided to not copy ''consultant'', 
> because in translation that would give a name that resembles that of a 
> lady that does the make-up products home parties and such. In stead, we 
> choose a name similar to the Dutch names for nurses and midwifes: 
> ''lactatiekundige'' (LC) as in ''verpleegkundige'' (RN) and 
> ''verloskundige'' (midwife) (a Dutch midwife is an independantly working 
> HCP who does unsupervised physiologic births inclusing all prenatal and 
> postnatal check-ups). The ''kundige'' stands for ''someone trained, 
> examined and knowledgeable in his/her profession''.

**And... not only trained and examined, but also having passed the exam and 
proud owner of a diploma/certificate. ;o)) We also have 'deskundigen' in 
many fields, and many call us 'lactatieDESkundige'. Like I always try to 
explain: a 'DESkundige' is someone who knows a lot about something, a 
'kundige' is someone with a diploma.
What I want to add about the consultant/therapist issue... I think a 
consultant is someone you get in touch with because you have faith in his or 
her competencies that can help you improve or solve something you yourself 
have less experience with. Your step towards such a person is not made out 
of helplessness or victimship, but out of strength, because you are 
consciously aware that things are not going the way you would like them to 
go. You deliberately hire knowledge and expertise; you can do that as a 
mother/parent (you refer yourself to a pp lc) or you can do that as an HCP 
(you refer yourself to a specialised colleague, aware of your own 
limitations, in order to better help the patient). In the hospital setting, 
probably the lc is directed towards the mother/parent(s) instead of the 
other way around, although that would be my preference: parents knowing that 
there is an lc available and then asking for her themselves. This is greatly 
empowering: knowing that people are there for you and then asking for their 
skills because you know you need them. When the initiative comes from the 
parents, chances are better that the advice is heard and taken seriously, 
because parents then have an open learning attitude and asking for the lc 
reveals more motivation than having one sent to you. Just the other week, I 
went to see a mother who had my phone number but didn't call. The hospital 
lc asked me to call the mother (and promised to the mother I would call); I 
should have waited... The two hour consult was in vain: dad didn't want to 
cooperate and didn't feel like trying anything. Once I start my practice, 
I'll make sure that people call me and that I don't call them. I'm there, 
but don't feel like imposing myself. I don't need to breastfeed (I already 
did), they want to breastfeed... or not... It's up to parents to either 
consult me or not and when they do, I'll be more than happy to be a 
consultant, on the basis of being equally competent adults as far as sharing 
and listening and implementing is concerned. ;o)

Warmly,

Marianne Vanderveen, Netherlands

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

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