Oooo Jay, I touched a nerve there didn't I? Sorry, but if we want to be
accepted as allied health professionals we have to prepare and keep up in
the same ways that they do.  We can't have it both ways.

Now about scholarships, I'm all for that.  And this is exactly the sort of
BF charity that we could be looking at for Lactnet.  Subs to JHL or local
confs. or reduced fees for same based on need.  I think local chapters
should get a copy of JHL and loan it out to members. (Our local  dues are
only $10 and $20 dollars). Many chapters buy conf tapes and make these
available to members who need (for whatever reason) to stay home.  I had
little kids once upon a time, limited finances,  limited time, but BF was
my passion.  And somewhere along the way I learned that I owed it to myself
to take these opportunities as they came along.   I can't go to ILCA this
year either, because I made another choice and next year my elderly mom
will be living with me, so I might not be able to  go in the near future.
But I'll get to the hospital library and read articles and I'll try to  get
to local  conf.

One way to get to local conf is to help put them on, trade labor for
registration.  And don't think that every year when my dues bill  comes
that I don't groan and say oh no, not already.  None of us are getting rich
doing this lactation stuff!  It's because we love mothers and babies that
we work so hard.  I did this originally so my daughters wouldn't have to
struggle like I did.  Now I worry about my granddaughters.  Things are
minimally better that 30 years ago, but the average BF mom is still
swimming upstream, we have a long way to go to  making BF the cultural norm
- if we can ever do that.  Sincerely, Pat in SNJ