As a dietitian that could always learn much, much more, I only jokingly
tell staff I have a CLC(1weekcourse) under my belt.  If I didn't work with
a wonderful IBCLC I wouldn't know how much I don't know.  But then I hired
her didn't I?  :-)   I'm a WIC administrator so I see clients here & there
only, however there are times when no one else is available so I have to
pitch in with my limited bf knowledge.  Once you get a mom to come in for
WIC -- you'd better handle the problem then because f/u with wrong phone
numbers and missed appointments can be difficult.  So, what this is all
about is:  THANKS FOR THE POSTS THAT SUPPORT TEAMWORK!!.
        Our IBCLC is part-time in WIC, so she has worked hard (& I mean hard
because we've been a little slow here...)  to educate us all as much as
possible.  Problems come with personalities -- a staff member for whom a
little learning is truly a dangerous thing; thinks she has the concept &
goes off "half cocked" as the saying goes, but then she has a really caring
heart.  Then we have the "I don't really care" people where there is a
glimmer that they do, but these people are easily swayed by a "its not my
problem mentality."  These are the ones we give the most attention to:  (we
make it their problem :-) ...talk to them about bf, give literature, most
importantly THANK THEM FOR BEING SUPPORTIVE of BREASTFEEDING!!  Are they
always supportive?  Heck no!  But we model for them that we EXPECT them to
be.  This has been hard because these people are so upsetting.  Success has
been slow, but it will and IS happening.  (for the truly negative people,
just dodge them in the hall unless you are really feeling pumped)
        It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness {uh, truthfully
I do both :-) }  We have an IBCLC in WIC with plenty of
wax/wickes/&matches!  If she could help lead us from a 6% bf rate in WIC to
30% (taken 4 years & working through a lot of negativity & we have a ways
to go!)  we know the sky is the limit.  We work with the statistically
least likely to bf population:  young, low education, high infant
mortality/morbidity, minority/95% African American, low income, southern
(to me! as I'm from Michigan).
        Last week I went around the clinic and took t-shirt orders for our "A
Loving Choice - Breastfeeding" t-shirts.  The woman/baby pair is
multiethnic in appearance & we have our clinic name on them.  I got 32
orders, and the clinic mgr. who is not into bfing agreed we could wear them
at work! (I got the OB Doc to ask for me -- TEAMWORK!)  As a CLC, I now
have more confidence to promote breastfeeding.  I have no interest in
becoming IBCLC, however I have a huge interest in all of us who work with
moms/babies/kids/families learning all we can about it.  And lastly:  thank
 God for our IBCLC!!  (Pam you are the greatest and now over 1300 people
know it!)
"Loving Support Makes Breastfeeding Work" (USA WIC National Breastfeeding
Promotion Campaign - USDA/Best Start)
Jill Lund, RD, MS, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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