I haven't entered into the recent discussion on the NET. I still have some queries and am waiting for answers.  We are dealing with several threads here and a lot of the comments have been wonderful.

Recent posts have told of the amazing progress the LC /specialist profession has made in the last 12 years.  I think after a lot of turmoil we will be seeing a lot of new developments. Women's health, in and of itself, is now being looked at in a more realistic way (finally), guess what - women are very different from men!  e.g. Drug trials have usually been done on males, it has been interesting to find out that females do not  always react the same way to medications.

Curriculum change has started in medical schools in the U.S., fifty percent of the medical students are women and they are going to make themselves heard. The HMOs will probably be a real mess for a few years until the monsters eat the little guys. Then - they  will have to consider what the consumer wants and what will cost them the least amount of money. From what I understand the woman's health field as it is developing is recognizing different phases of a woman's life and somehow you don't  get the feeling that lactation is one of the biggies. I recently asked some one very involved with this in the U.S. 'what about lactation, etc.?' why is it not up there with the rest of the phases/issues etc.?  Answer was that it is political. We have our work cut out for us, however, it is an opportunity.

ILCAs Education Task Force has been working on several of the subjects mentioned on the NET for quite a while. Members of the Task Force have a good international representation. Many of us are also concerned about the quality and quantity of the hours need to apply for certification. This is something that will not go away and I really hope that changes will be made in the next few years. Change is not easy and not without pain.

I did not write in about why I breastfed or what my experiences were. Suffice to say that I was in a desert town, nearest city Beer Sheva about 130 miles away. Eating a great deal of humble pie I managed to enter the hospital- NICU, delivery room, maternity wards, pediatrics, etc.  and work with mothers and babies for 17 years. No, I did not get paid, yes I learned a lot and managed to work with almost every woman who gave birth in my town. It can be done. Working privately was separate from hospital work. I worked very hard and was respected within the system.

The issue of IBCLCs in certain developing countries may not be relevant right now since if it is not recognized it is not something that will really help. I think about how much LCs were able to do in certain places without the credentials but with their expertise and am really in awe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

CNM18 who is coming to Israel- you put two email addresses and no name.

Countdown for Jay Simpson's baby begins soon. After our cyberbaby is born we countdown for Nofia. How many more LACTNET babies do we have on the way????

Evi in sunny Tel-Aviv  (sometimes getting a cyber snowball is fun)