Dear Linda and everyone,
Linda wanted to know more about where I work.  Let's start off by saying it
is a wonderful concept that totally bombs in the establishment of BF.  I
work in a mother/baby rest home.  Mothers come to us after they leave the
hospital.  They stay anywhere between 2 days to usually 2 weeks.  They come
to rest.  The food is delicious and there is tons of it.  There are a few
private rooms, but most stay 2 or 3 peple in a room.   The babies are in a
nursery.  We usually have 120 babies.  Almost all the mothers come in order
to sleep through the night.  You can imagine how wonderful that is for me,
the only LC there.  I fight an uphill battle with the women who are
clueless as to how their bodies work.  They have a store on premisis that
sells all sorts of things like almond spread and other stuff that they
think makes milk.   They almost all wear breastshells for no specific
reason.  We have 5 Medela classics, 3 old Ameda Egnells.  We get tons of
free formula, although my boss says that has been halved since I started
working there.  Most women come to rest because they have a house full of
kids at home.  I mean alot.   The average birth there is for sure above 6,
and we had one woman last year who had number 19.  We do also get some
first time moms.   I do my best to help moms, but almost all babies are
getting at least one bottle per day so I see alot of lazy nursing and
breast refusal.  Things pretty much center around a 4 hour schedule, and it
is normal for me to walk in at 8:30    am and hear 25 babies screaming
because their mommies are eating and shmoozing at breakfast.  The workers
(who are not nurses, just experienced mothers) prop bottles, and it is very
rare to see anyone holding a baby.  Every child has a brown latex pacifier.
 It is a family run business that was originally started for orphans who
have no support system.  The concept is beautiful.    If your weak, the
cook will make you up liver, special.  If you need a boost to your milk,
they give you grape juice (I wonder where that one came from).  It is
definately an uphill battle.  There is a pediatrician that checks the
babies once a day, and they weigh them every day also.  This does terrible
things for the mother's self confidence.  I used to give a group lecture to
the women once a week to give basic info (Thanks Esther for your tips) but
I have not started up with it again since I went back after my maternity
leave.  Once in a while I do get a mom who says she only came to work on
her breastfeeding and will not go home until it is organized.  She does
room in and wake up at night.  It is potentially a great concept, except
the staff continues to give dumb information, push supplements and lower
mother's self confidence...." Your baby looks starving! You must not have
enough... Let's give him Similac".  This is despite my many hours of
inservice training.
Well Linda, that's it in a nutshell.  Anyone want a job?  I would love some
help.....
Fondly,
Jessica Billowitz, IBCLC
ISRAEL

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