>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

>

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Kathleen B. Bruce RN, BSN, IBCLC
Williston, Vermont USA
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Remember to stop and smell the "roses!"
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