i greatly appreciate barbara's comments on the problem of selling things and
renting pumps. i resisted for a long time. it is not something i enjoy.
however, it depends on where you live, whether you can have a private
practice that is just that. it depends on what is being done where you live,
and how people do it. when consultations are not valued and are being done by
a majority of people who believe that being a nurse is the primary
qualification needed, and that being board certified counts for nothing
UNLESS you are a nurse, its hard to know how to conduct a reasonable
business.

which leads to the scale question. i agree that there is no protocol that *I*
know of that indicates when a scale is necessary. my own protocol is that
when a mother is making no milk whatsoever, it is often helpful to do the
test weigh for a variety of reasons. one is that the mother usually
desperately wants confirmation of her worst fears - that she makes no milk.
some mothers need to know that they are not making milk because they are not
supplementing enough and need to see some concrete evidence that the baby
needs more. i also occasionally feel that it helps to point your suspicions
in one direction or the other, but really, its only the no milk whatsoever
moms that i think i might use the scale. i rarely use it, although i have
seen several moms with no milk.

i firmly believe that using a scale at all is in intervention, so you better
have a specific reason for using it and offer a good explanation to the
parents. however, there must be something i am not understanding, because all
other humans even remotely related to the practice of lactation in my area
firmly believe the the weight is the first thing you do when someone walks in
with a baby. it doesn't seem to matter what the call is about, a test weigh
is needed. but its not an intervention! is the response you offer whenever
any ignorant, non-nurse person like myself might venture to ask about this
practice.

pat's comments about papers and cards reminds me, i use a folder to put all
papers in (i have some standard things that everybody gets, like LLL
schedules, the ezzo pamphlet, etc.) and i attach a magnet business card to
it. people love them and rarely lose them. and my name and numbers are on
every handout, as well.

carol brussel IBCLC
finding more ways to spend money on this business than i would have ever
thought possible

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html