I am responding to Patricia's comments about how difficult it is to work with some hospital nursing staff.

I am a nurse and LC at a hospital in Anchorage, AK.  I was the first LC the hospital had ever hired....and many of the nurses were colleagues I had worked with on the floor.  When I first started making rounds it was as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water in my face...I was so shocked at how much they resented the whole job description.  Sabotage, back biting, the list was endless.  But why?

I found that each nurse was bringing her own past breastfeeding experiences into her nursing interventions with the patients...and there's a lot of anger there.  That anger was being thrown at me as an LC.  Through multiple staff meetings and one on ones I got the word out that each nurse needs to shake the personal baggage when assisting new moms.  By making BF instruction just another skill I was able to get the personal aspect out and the nursing action back in.  Our manager has now added it to the list of skills they must check-off on when they go through orientation.

This "personal anger" is the culprit.  To this day when I introduce myself as the LC to an administrator or physician they routinely end up sharing some personal story about how they fed their children and how they feel about BF.  I just try to let them talk it out.

The other major hurdle comes about with the push by more peds. to have moms BF.  BFing takes time with these new moms and a lot of nurses are pressured for time or maybe poor in their teaching skills.  They build up resentment about the frustration in getting these new babies to BF.  This is a crucial time for LC's to step in.  This is when you need to intervene and show the nsg. staff how you can help them.  Step in when the chaos on the unit is the worst!  That is when the new respect and appreciation begins.  Let both L&D and NICU know to call you, even if it's just busy and they need help with a few BFing moms.

The staff often tease me now by occasionally calling me the BOOBOLOGIST, and I take it as a compliment...because I have come to fit in and am therefore part of the team...which is what it is all about in trying to be effective in the hospital.

My husband says the pioneers get all the arrows...stick with it hospital LC's; we are making a very important impact.

Martha Olson, RN, IBCLC
Anchorage, Alaska         

     

  

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