In a message Lori <<wrote>>:

<<1) a once a week breastfeeding clinic.  Is any one doing a clinic on such a
part time basis.>>

At one hospital where I work we have a weekly breastfeeding clinic called
"Breastfeeding Fine Tuning Clinic". Moms with babies during their first week
postpartum are the target attendees. This encourages the facilitation of
progress in good situations, and catching concerns early before they become
problems. It is held at noon in the same room on the family centered care unit
where we do a daily 10am postpartum breastfeeding class, so all the materials
we use for class are available. We use the scale from the nearby nursery. The
LC would also be available for after clinic individual consults.

<<2) A hospital sponsored support group....>>

I hold a weekly "New Moms Group" at the community education facility of
another larger (9,600+ births in '97) hospital. Duration for attendance ranges
from a few sessions to every week for many months. Most moms are
breastfeeding. I tried a separate walk-in "Breastfeeding Support Group" for a
while. Very often, the moms who came needed individual consults, on the spot,
due to involved situations. For those involved situations I prefer to have an
appointment, and some idea of what to prepare for ahead of time. Also, many
more moms came to the general new moms group to get information on all aspects
of baby care. My goal is to facilitate discussion, instead of giving all the
answers. I use lots of therapeutic communication, and ask questions to get the
group to participate in offering empathic understanding and options for
solutions and coping. I regularly bite my lip and sit on my hands to
discourage myself from giving opinions and suggestions until and unless it is
indicated or necessary. In many situations I am merely confirming and
supporting what new mothers already know to be true. Also, the non-
breastfeeding moms hear, mostly from their peers, what very well may
positively influence them in their feeding choice for the next baby. I would
bet big bucks on that.

<<3)Hospital sponsored Inservices for day care providers.  The first one will
be on collection and storage, handling of breastmilk, >>

You may be familiar with this: LLLI's  "Day Care Breast Milk Storage
Guidelines" http://www.lalecheleague.org/Release/ReleaseDaycare.html
Hope this is still current.

<< I want to put together some sound proposals to assure this gets going soon
but also the right way. I'm in uncharted territory here.>>

Here is part of a proposal I wrote. The wording was for hospital
administration eyes:

"To decrease fear and anxiety, and gain a sense of control in their roles, new
parents seek knowledge and support. Acquisition of the maternal role is
accomplished over a series of months. Fantasizing the desired behaviors and
characteristics of motherhood is a normal part of maternal role development.
Another initial step is to adopt behaviors modeled by peers. The consensual
expectations of peers greatly influences initial maternal role behaviors.
Another similar component is role play. Anticipation of requisite lifestyle
adaptations can result in a grieving process as former identities and roles,
that are incompatible with the new mothering role, are relinquished. The final
steps of this developmental process include resolution of role conflicts and
integration of valued components. Independent decision making and self-
confidence are the results of a successful acquisition of maternal role.New
mothers can benefit from a discussion of factors that ease the transition into
motherhood.  A parenting support group can help new mothers gain knowledge of
issues and concerns relevant to babies, and result in increased confidence in
the mother's new role. Equally important is the development of a supportive
network of peers outside the group setting."

Feel free to edit at will and use if helpful.

<<Leonardtown MD>>

You are probably are on the opposite side of Washington DC from me? - let me
know if you would like to visit my new moms group.

Deb

Deborah Tobin RN BSN ACCE IBCLC
Springfield Virginia