I volunteer for LLLI's hotline one night per month.  My hours are from 5pm
to 8am CST and need to be ready for the calls to start almost immediately.
LLLI's provides me with log sheets to complete with name, address, phone,
problem, what others have said, and my suggestions.  I keep my reference
books nearby.
  The calls come one on top of another in the evening.  Just a few come in
the middle of the night and I keep the cordless phone by my pillow.  I have
been disappointed some mornings to realize that no calls have come in.  It
is not an imposition when they call, even for non-emergencies.  You could
not pay me enought to do what I will only do as a volunteer.
  Most calls are from Moms with newborns . . . lots of Moms questioning if
their situation is normal.  Some frightening (to me) calls that I listen a
lot and then present a plan, refer her to her doctor and a local LLLL, and
call her back to check on her progress.  One Dad called me from the hospital
room with their two hour old firstborn as no one had answered their
questions or been in to help.
  I have been a LLLL for 22 years and have only received two middle of the
night calls in all of that time.
Laurie Owens, IBCLC
WIC Bfg Coord - Naples, FL

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