>Greetings to all. My name is Karen Page. I have been a Navy Nurse for 15 >years and prior to that a civilian nurse for three years. My interest is >primarily in Childbearing families . I have been teaching Prepared >Childbirth classes (noncertified) for 10 years . Additionally, I have been >teaching and helping women breastfeed for 10 years (non certified at this >time). I have 6 years combined experience in Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, >Nursery/NICU and Pediatrics Med/Surg. I am striving for IBCLC. Hi Karen. You sure do have a lot of experience...and some of it is fairly unique, seeing as you have served in foreign countries... > >I just returned from a 6 month deployment in Zagreb, Croatia where I served >with the United Nations at the Navy's Fleet Hospital Five serving UN >peacekeepers in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. We only provided care to >United Nations employees and United Nations peacekeeper personnel; however, > I did see pregnant women as wives to foreign soldiers and their children. > It was very strange but special to have them visit our hospital. Our >facility was a large tent (like on MASH) under a airport hangar bay. I am >certainly glad to finally be home with my husband (who is also in the Navy) >and my two sons, 8 and 3 years old. I bet you missed your family when you were away. I also have a 3 yr old, and 7 and 10 yr olds too.....all girls. I am a nurse also, and have been a LLL Leader for 7 years and an IBCLC in private practice for 2 yrs. I also work on Vermont Lactation Consultant Assn stuff, and that is , indirectly, how LACTNET was born.! > > >I am attempting to influence my hospital to establish a Lactation Consultant >service. What is the impediment to establishing such a service? If it is anything like here, it is money. Unfortunately, our facility does not support the current WHO code...and therefore some practices impede breastfeeding. Nice to meet you. Kathleen > ********************************************************** Kathleen B. Bruce RN, BSN, IBCLC Williston, Vermont USA [log in to unmask] Remember to stop and smell the "roses!" **********************************************************************