Karen writes;
>> What most get, instead,(in the US) is an assesssment bya floor
nurse, who may or may not be skilled in helping moms breastfeed, maybe a
15-30 minute visit from a usually very overworked  hospital LC, who really
can give that time only to the more complex cases, and a visit to the
pediatrician when the baby is 2 weeks old. And frankly, given our
bottlefeeding, breastfeeding hostile culture, that's just not enough help for
a great many families.<<
I agree with the facts as presented here but where is the Moms role in all of
this.
I, like many other LCs, have to supplement my income as an LC with pump
rentals and through my work as an RN/visiting nurse  (where I'm fortunately
able to work with mainly new Moms and babes). Your picture of Moms unable to
get the help they need, though accurate, doesn't reflect the fact that many
of them don't seek us out!    This happens for many reasons. These reasons
can range from one end of the continuum; they don't know we exist, to the
other; they prefer to spend their money on baby gadgets.  I do think that we
need to acknowledge that because they are "not stupid", as you so aptly
put it, Moms do have a role and they often know where to find help but choose
not to seek it out. This can be combatted with increased awareness of who we
are and what we do, especially in the OB offices as they are an integral part
of the decision making and preparing process for Moms. How do we do this? My
efforts; mailings, have met with little interest/response.
 I would love to see this as a focus for ILCA as it is clear that we will
continue to lose many highly functioning LCs to other "paying" professions.
Of course, there are the many Moms who have no idea that they need help until
it is seemingly "too late" (I have the pleasure of intercepting these
disasters waiting to happen on a daily/weekly basis through my work as a VNA
nurse) but this is a topic for another time!

Lynn Shea Rn,Bsn,Ibclc
Franklin,Massachusetts- a picture perfect fall day in New Enland, warm, sunny
and a beautiful vista of leaves turning, falling and blowing in the wind!!

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