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From:
James & Natalie Kraut <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 21 Jul 2001 14:04:47 -0400
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Heather

I wasn't going to post, thinking we'd done all our discussing, but since many,
many are away in Acapulco, someone just has to keep the volume of Lact-Net e-mails
up! ;-)

I appreciated EVERYONE'S posts. We are all being very civil to one another.
Thanks, too, to Debbie Albert for pointing out in the most diplomatic way possible
that there are crummy LCs out there, too. Or, maybe they're not crummy, but the
mother interprets things incorrectly and relays it to a Leader, who ends up
thinking, "They're crummy."

And in response to Heather's phone line question, the answer is: it depends on the
Area. I've no idea what happens when you call 1(800) LA LECHE, though people do
say all the time that's how they get my name and number. Our local (two county)
phone message clearly states that we are an all-volunteer peer support
organization and to try all the numbers listed for the week until you get an
answer (on average, 2-3 Leaders take a shift a week in the Fort Lauderdale/Boca
Raton area). But yes, some calls get dropped, probably for the same reasons
Heather postulates. But, Heather, I think you have just struck on an article that
can go in Leader letters: how to manage your phone line, not just your personal
telephone. Thank you. My personal answering machine states very clearly when I
can't take LLL calls and to please call the hotline; that's code for "I'm out of
town."

Four years ago, I was one of the phone calls that was dropped. Then an LC dropped
me, too. But my mother and husband made me persist, and I found an LC who did
return my calls and a Group that I loved. And 2 years later I became a Leader, and
I try very, very hard not to drop calls, probably due to my own experience. And if
the person on the other end of the line says, "I needed you yesterday!" I explain
that we're all just volunteers doing our best.

In reference to Rachael's post about volunteers being overextended, I see this,
too. It can be hard for some to mitigate their altruism. At the moment, La Leche
League is my job (that's what I tell my husband), and I have it all
compartmentalized, because I treat it more like work than something "extra." I do
not, by the way, consider it a 9am-5pm job; I view myself as "on-call" the weeks
I'm on phone line. Because of my commitment to the Area Conference, I only lead
meetings from December to April, which is fine because I have 3 co-Leaders in my
Group. I also only review books from December to April for the Int'l Book
Evaluation Committee. My conference is in the fall, so I get busy from May on
that. But my commitment to the phone line is yearlong, because it isn't that bad:
It's one week every 6 weeks or so. I've only had one day in 2 years where it felt
like I truly never made it out of the house because every time I hung up, there
was a message waiting that needed to be answered or the phone rang again. Being on
the phone line has been a truly excellent way to hone my skills and learn new
things; I can say with absolute confidence that "just" leading Group meetings and
answering the calls from the mothers in my Group, who, by the very act of coming
to my meetings, are probably more high-functioning than some of the people who
call me, would not have exposed me to the variety of difficulties mothers and
babies encounter. I recommend joining phone line to every new Leader we accredit,
to build her experience and her confidence.

Not answering in a timely manner is one part of the reason why healthcare
providers can be leery of referring to us. The other is the perception, so
eloquently addressed by Ellen Shein, that we're 'fanatic.' It's all about building
bridges, folks. There's enough nursing pairs for all of us, and we each have
something to share. So let's be nice to one another, shall we?

Best,
Natalie Rawlings Kraut
LLL Leader, Plantation, FL
Area Conference Supervisor, LLL-FL
Book Evaluation Committee, LLLI

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