Linda Anderegg laments the poor participation of medical and nursing staff
in what sounded like an absolutely dynamite, labor-intensive and
thought-provoking set of WBW activities.
I began as an LLLL, paying for all my own education and doing it all for
love. It was worth every moment and every penny. I was truly disgusted when
I began my career in the hospital - the nurses seemed so unwilling to put
their hearts, souls, or heaven-forbid time or dollars into anything for
their professional development (read- pay for your own conference on a day
off) or for a celebration or anything else.
Ten years later, I understand much better the reasons for this disheartening
situation. I work in a unit that is great place to work in many ways. We
still have one-on-one nursing support for labor, a volunteer doula network,
me hired as LC for in and outpatient work.
BUT! August is our busiest month and we never have enough staff to smoothly
take care of extra shifts to cover the busy-ness and the vacations and the
maternity leaves. I've worked more staff-time (voluntarily, because I love
my colleagues and feel strongly that if I can help out, it helps me as well
as them in the long run) in the last two weeks than in all the rest of the
year.
If I hadn't been scheduled to go to The Art of Breastfeeding Gallery Walk
Exhibition opening last Friday, I don't know if I would have showed up. I
wanted to go home and rest  -- and I was on the steering committee for this
show and worked on it all year.
Sometimes even what should be fun is just too much when you're
over-stressed. I don't know many nurses or docs who aren't over-booked,
over-stressed and ready to go home!
I'd love to come see your stuff. And maybe you should make up a reason to
re-do some of those activities with staff during your slowest month - here
it would be February, so maybe the theme would be "Love That Breastfeeding"!
for Valentine's Day.
Fight the good fight! "Provoke one another to love and good works" is a good
phrase from the New Testament. And another favorite - "do not be weary in
well-doing!!!"
Dawn Kersula
Brattleboro, VT
...going in early today to finish up all the press releases and tickets for
BIRTH the play, which we're doing over Labor Day as part of the BOLD project
-- fools that we are!
www.birththeplay.org

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