Dear Jeanne,

Congratulactations!! (borrowing Kathy Auerbach'snewly coined terminology). And
what a creative acronym for the affiliate!! It is an especially wonderful thing
to pull lactation consultants together to meet and talk face to face. Most of us
work/practice in isolation - or with a partner - so the validation, the
inspiration and the commraderie that happens when we get together is even more
precious (the reason ILCA Conferences are soooo popular, I guess!). This kind of
exchange and an occassional breastfeeding problem with a happy ending, and we
can stare in the face of burnout and laugh.

Your post reminded me of when a group of us started the affiliate in Memphis,
TN. We had nineteen people show up to the inaugural meeting in my family room -
eight of us continued to meet bi-weekly for a year to study for the IBLCE exam -
about twelve of us joined the then flegeling ILCA and began to form our
Affiliate. We also wanted an acronym that said something about us, and without
going into some of the stranger brain-storms (like SUCK, DRIP and FLOW), we
ended up with LEAP - Lactation Education And Promotion - LEAP for Memphis. That
was way back in 1985...  Who would have thought that this whole profession would
have come this far this fast!!

Jeanne, good luck with your affiliate in Austin - I wish for you the same heart
warming memories of the name picking night as I have!

Jeanine Klaus, MS, IBCLC (the woman who has lived in more than a few places...)
Oakville, Ontario