I had to comment on the note on "busy nurses" that Linda made. 

In my experience in hospitals, there are two kinds of nurses - those who
care but are overwhelmed by all the work they have to do and those who gave
up caring - and are overwhelmed...

Those who become nurses certainly don't do so to get rich (just like LC's)
and their hours are not the best (ditto) with the need to staff 24 hours a
day 7 days a week and on all holidays.  Then you add to that the need to
staff with the least number of staff at the lowest pay possible to keep the
bottom line from getting toooo red and you get...

In fact, the salaries here in Puerto Rico are so low that I often say you
get "burgerking - sorry for the brand name - services for burgerking
salaries..."

One solution I just read among you was paying for private care nurses - in
fact, when my mom was hospitalized (only 3 weeks), I had to pay 24 hour a
day nurses to make sure she had the care she needed.  I was able to stay 24
hours a day for the first week, but after that my health and sanity
required the expenditure - which Thank God we had - of her savings for her
care.  

Of course our moms can't afford this - I work with moms who go to the
public health centers and the public hospitals.  Our only consolation there
is that they are kicked out so quickly that the lack of nurses is not such
a problem - so we need to educate the family who WILL be the caretakers of
both the mom and the baby.

_______________

As for women helping women - Katherine may come accross as not having a
sense of humor - but I know for a fact she is a lovely mom and lady and
professional.  She has reached the end of her rope with this subject as I
am sure a lot of us have...

In trying to pass a law helping working women to have time to pump or
breastfeed, my two greatest oponents were women:

- a congresswoman who said "I'm to disorganized to bf and work"  and who
felt the law would make women less desirable as employees so she abstained
so that the House was unable to pass the law unanimously.

- and a reporter who has never had a child and who stated that "women
should be able to keep their personal needs at home and pump at home but
not interfere with her working hours".  (this even after I had explained
the physical need to pump and her having a co-worker who had done it).

Many of the working women I know have had troubles with women bosses more
than men.  Perhaps they are jealous, or feel guilty, or angry (I didn't
ever get a break, why should she?).  Whatever it is, we need to try to be
aware of their reactions and their needs.

The same with women who encourage their daughters to have breast surgery. 
We just had a large article published about breast surgery (as Dr.
Dettwyler calls it - breast mutilation).  I am now using the examples of a
plastic surgeon who does surgery on the nose to make it look better - but
now the patient can't breathe through it.  or does surgery on the wrinkles
around the eye - but now the person can't see.  How come plastic surgery on
the breast is considered a "success" when the organ can then not do what it
was designed to do?

I may not be able to change some women's minds - but perhaps a few lawsuits
will make the surgeons more careful???

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, IBCLC
Puerto Rico
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