Conference highlights:
* Hearing Chris Mulford and Dr. Wah Wong (worked with UNICEF since the
1950's, has focused on Baby Friendly all over the globe) sing breastfeeding
songs. And I thought I was probably the only one silly enough to sing as a
part of a presentation to fellow professionals, just like going to a LLL
meeting, learning that other people do/have done the same as you is so
wonderful.
* The emphasis on BFHI and the Ten Steps was FANTASTIC!!! Last time I
made it to ILCA was in 1997, I and my colleague arrived at the conference
just days after learning that our facilities were #s10 and 11 in the US to
receive the BFHI designation, and we were disappointed to hear so little
about Baby Friendly that year. Well, ILCA 2000 more than made up for that.
Hearing Randa Saadeh from UNICEF, Dr Wong, and the folks from Boston who
just got their BFHI designation (sorry, I can't recall names, and my
syllabus is in my luggage which hasn't made it home yet) made me realize
that ILCA is really behind the Ten Steps, that people in the US are
beginning to get that Baby Friendly CAN BE DONE in the US, that it's a
standard of care, not an award, and that just like we've all learned with
breastfeeding in general, the Ten Steps aren't really an optimal or
exceptional way of doing things. Following the Ten Steps is the NORMAL way
to take care of moms and babies. YAYYY!!!
* Experiencing the palpable excitement of all the people who gathered
in preparation to go to Capitol Hill and personally lobby their
congresspersons in support of Rep. Maloney's breastfeeding bills.
* Hearing Chris Mulford speak about her work at last year's ILO
convention in Geneva, working with an international group on the rights of
employed moms all over the world to breastfeed or express their milk on the
job, and to have adequate maternity leave. This work is fundamental to
everything we do to support moms and families! Go Chris!!
* Seeing how diverse we are as a group! I loved noticing that there
were two tables for Spanish speakers at lunch one day.
* Dr. Nancy Wight's talk on Hypoglycemia in the Neonate had lots of
new info, a must- find- out for anyone working in a hospital setting.
* Finding a new, lighter weight, more compact version of the
(non-electric) pedal pump in the exhibit hall. I've recommended the pedal
pump for years, and the moms who've tried it have been very happy. IT's
probably the best value in a double pump you will find, but the old one was
fairly heavy and bulky, new one is a big improvement. Think about this for
your moms who don't have a place to plug in a pump at work.
* Meeting Lucy, Rayza, and Ana from NYC, and Lorraine and Linda from
Birmingham, and brushing up on my long-lost Southern accent.
Thanks to everyone for making it such a great conference... we are a warm
and wonderful group of people. I stayed over til Monday AM, and the hotel
felt like a completely different place after the ILCA exodus Sunday.
Love to all--
Martha Johnson RN IBCLC
Eugene OR
***********************************************
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
|
