Being in both the hospital setting and private practice....
Hospital change is *incremental* (read *glacial*) in
many cases.  Take heart.  Some things that I'd been
beating my head against a brick wall re infant
developmental care in NICN 5-8 years ago are now
happening.  All I can hope is that I planted the seeds
that finally got around to germinating.  The frustrating
part of it is that NOW I'm beating my head against a different
part of the brick wall re breastfeeding issues.   AND
still  continuing to say radical things (in both OB and
peds) about family centered care, parent empowerment,
and informed consent...stuff you all seem to include
as an integral part of LC practice <g>.

Having looked at it from both sides, I'm not sure staying
in hospital longer is necessarily good.  Some days
I think the longer we keep them, the more we've
messed with mom's confidence, given conflicting info,
and had more opportunities for separation and
the well-meaning nursery staff to give supplment.paci, etc.

However, I do think having appropriate follow up care
by LCs in community is the only way.......BUT I find
myself frustrated in private practice role when I
realize that most of what I see are problems created
by mismanagement in the early days/hosp.  SIGH!!

BTW we had enough snow in the carolinas that everything
is cancelled for tomorrow so I have time to sit at my computer
(could you tell?!)--Phyl