Hi everyone,
I have just joined Lactnet and thought I would take a few moments to
introduce myself. My name is Mimi O'Donnell and I am a LLL leader. I'd like
to give you all a little background so you know where I'm coming from and why
I'm here.
After I had my second child I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew
up(don't know if I'm there yet).I knew I wanted to do something I was good at
and something that made me happy. What else...Lactation. I'm a rare bird in
that my mother breastfed me and my 3 other siblings. I was breastfed for 10
mon. and the youngest for 2+ yrs. All of my mother's friends breastfed(she
was not involved with LLL) so I was exposed all of my life. When I had my
first baby I never thoght about the way I would feed her. Is there another
way? I had minor sore nipples and mastitis with my first and a nursing
strike(3 days) with my second child.
I talked with my midwife about my aspirations of becoming a lactation
consultant and she suggested I start by becoming a LLL Leader. Well that was
a long and frustrating experience but I'm here now. I was accredited in
Okinawa, Japan. Along with my LLL duties I did other things to obtain hours
so that I could sit for the IBCLC exam. I taught 2 breastfeeding classes and
did consulting at the hospital under the guise of Red Cross. The hospital was
not terribly breastfeeding supportive. I was always available to anyone at
any hour and found myself at the hospital at 2-3 a.m. on many occasions.
Luckily there are a lot of good reference books out there and I only had 3
cases that were beyond my expertise. It was a very rewarding time and also
very frustrating. I had no one else to consult with and Okinawa did not have
on line capabilities until just before I left. Here is my plea to all of you
that are IBCLC's: Consider taking myself or someone else you know that is
interested in becoming a LC under your wing. In my situation I have a few
hours of college and about 3000 hrs. of hands on experience. Now that we have
moved to Columbia,S.C. I will not have the same opportunities to make hours
to sit for my exam. The BF initiation rate here ( i've been told) is only
38-39%. Unreal!!! LLL is not terribly active although I and others are
trying.I am going to school now but that is a slow process. My husband is a
student and his classes need to come first. I am very frustrated at how long
it is going to take for me to reach my dream(IBCLC). If any of you have
encouraging words or are in the S.C. area and would like to "sponsor" me, I
would love it. The lactation field is still not recognized in a lot of places
so lets work together and help those that are working towards joining you. If
we do this we will become a stronger body and have some well rounded well
trained Lc's for the future.
Sorry this is so long I've needed to present this possibility for a long time
now.

Mimi O'Donnell, LLLL, husband Kevin, 2girls, Heather 7 and Rachel 5 in Aug.
BF 17 mon.,3yrs 3mon. respectively