There are those parents who are on the edge about bf and some moms who want
an excuse to quit.  Paying the LC who will not/cannot guarantee that she will
cure the problem (I can't even guarantee the mom will get to my office
without a car accident -- life happens) is the little bit that may push her
into formula feeding even though we are cheaper than a month's worth of
formula -- especially when you add in the cost of the visits to the
pediatrician for illness!

The tip off statement:  "I need to check with my husband."  9 times out of 10
you can kiss that consult goodbye.

Another episode that demonstrated to me once again why LCs are better pump
rental stations than drug stores.  A mom came to get a pump because she was
going out of town over the weekend for a wedding, and then was going to have
surgery the next week.  We were discussing the merits of taking the pump for
a daily rate or the monthly rate; she was trying to figure out how long she
would need the pump, and muttering something about, "and then for at least a
week after the surgery while I'm on pain medication...."  I came to at that
point -- it turns out her knee surgeon (well versed in bf management and
drugs in bf, I'm sure) told her she couldn't bf as long as she was on pain
medication.  So, without questioning it (he's a doc, right??) she thought she
would have to pump & dump for at least a week.  I asked who her peds was,
told her that the bottom line person for whether or not she could take a
specific med & still bf was her baby's doctor, and that if she had any more
questions she could call me & I would check my resources (showed her the 975
page Briggs).  She went home a happy camper, spent less money, and the baby
will get bf instead of having ABM for a week while mommy dumps the gold down
the drain.

Would a clerk in a drug store have been able to help this mom keep on bf or
given her the correct info?  How many times have I lost pump rentals because
moms have been given incorrect information about what they had to do and I've
been able to steer them in the right direction?  How many times has that
happened to ALL of us?  Oh well.  I may have lost money, but at least I can
live with myself.

Jan B.  Feeling poor in Wheaton, IL