I share in the frustration that parents will happily call out a plumber and 
expect to pay him or her but are surprised that we professional counsellors 
take a fee - especially as breastfeeding will actually save them money in 
the long run as well as all the other benefits to baby and family.

As a prenatal teacher, I have always budgeted a home and/or hospital visit 
for breastfeeding and other issues into my course fee.  Sometimes I lose 
financially because a client needs a lot of my time, visits, phone calls, 
follow-up and sometimes a couple sail through without much need of support. 
In all cases I gain in satisfaction when I invite my clients and their 
babies to the postnatal meeting and they are all happy with breastfeeding.

But there are some grey areas.  For example I run a regular prenatal course 
at a University where I get paid per hour of actual teaching and nothing for 
expenses, phone calls and certainly not for home visits.  The students pay a 
much lower fee for the course but it is I, not the University, who is 
subsidizing it.  So I reluctantly made it clear that while the students can 
call me on the telephone I cannot provide a home or hospital visit in the 
course fee.  Again I offer them this service but they understand from the 
beginning that they will have to pay extra, albeit a much lower fee than I 
charge for private consultations not connected to my prenatal courses.
As a parent who paid for four kids through higher education, I have full 
sympathy for students, particularly in Israel where they study after Army 
and are older and therefore often starting a family.  And of course if I am 
alerted by the Student Union to a client who really cannot pay I would never 
refuse to help.  However I cannot set up a one-woman welfare society while 
the University Students Union make sure that they cover all their expenses 
and do not lose out on this programme.

The students are usually happy with this arrangement because many of them 
live in the married quarters on campus and can just walk across to the 
course venue, saving them time and transportation.  If any of them prefer 
the alternative of my private course they have the option of doing that and 
again I offer them a discount.

It`s a tough one but it`s cheaper than the plumber!
Wendy Blumfield
NCT Trained Prenatal Tutor Teacher/ BFC
Israel Childbirth Education Centre






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