Paula, this time I got your full (I think) message 3 times. Looks like one was
through Lactnet, and two directly? Does this mean you found your missing brain
matter and tripled it?? If so, please give detailed instructions. I could use
some extra right about now....<G>

I saw that in the Globe, too. (make room on the soapbox....)  Personally this is
reminiscent of the concerns about LLL Leaders (volunteers) becoming LCs (paid)
and keeping them straight. I know the potential is there for abuse in both
situations and have seen it with the LLL/LC concerns. But the key issue is
integrity, I think. I've lost a lot of sales over the last few years of pump
stuff because I felt that a mom either needed no pump and just some good
management techniques and support, or she didn't need to spend money she didn't
have for a big pump when a smaller one or hand expressing might do as well for
her. If I get a call about pumps, I try to give the moms a run down of kinds of
pumps with a statement to the effect that the big electric pumps are the best
pumps, but that they may be too much pump for what that mom needs. So many of
the calls I get about pumps are from women who have tried the rinkydink pumps
from the baby stores, and their comments are typically: "I tried such-and-such a
pump and it hurts like heck and I don't get much milk out, but other than that
it is a good pump."

And as for the LLL/LC conflict, my major problem has not been charging when I
should have been volunteering, but volunteering when I should have been
charging. I still find it difficult to charge for things I have done so long as
a volunteer. The way I have rationalized it is that as a LC, I don't have the
liberty of telling a mom that I can't talk to her right now, or I can't  work
with her today because I need to go eat lunch with my kid. She is paying me to
be there during whatever hours I'm "on."  Family first works with LLL, and it
contributes to LC, but cannot dominate it.

The view from up here on the box is lovely....<g>

Back to pumps, have any of you seen Kittie Franz's BREASTFEEDING PRODUCT GUIDE?
I ordered one at ILCA last summer and have been impressed with it. It is sort of
the Consumer Reports of the BF world. She discusses every imaginable piece of bf
equipment and accessory and compares different brand names. Each chapter has a
comparative chart with features, and the descriptions tell when the features are
useful to which moms. She is far more unbiased than most of us could be,
especially when it comes to pumps. Other stuff besides detailed descriptions of
manual, small electric, battery, and electric pumps include shields, shells,
creams, pads, feeding tube devices, storage bags, bf pillows, discharge kits,
etc.

One more pump story then I'm outta here. My worst experience with a customer
happened this summer. A lady called and said she was returning her pump
sometime. I said fine, call and let me know before you come. A few weeks later I
sent her a pump reminder to pay the growing bill since she hadn't returned the
pump. She called and said her hubby had returned the pump. I told her, no, I
hadn't gotten anything. She checked with dear hubby who assured her he had left
the pump on my front doorstep. Now ordinarily, anything on my front doorstep
could have been there for weeks before I saw it because we never went out the
front door. This particular time, we were trying to get grass to grow in front
anticipating putting the house for sale so we were in the front every day
watering. She asked how much the pump cost and I told her $500+ so she was going
to check with hubby again. She was not happy with her hubby but wasn't mad at
me. I sent her an official letter, and asked her to call me. Never heard from
her again. Fortunately Medela stepped in and took it off my account. I have no
idea whether they ever got the money from them.

Gotta go. Have a nice day!