The State of the Ailbhe
Jun. 4th, 2009 09:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailbheI'm very tired but we're making real progress. The clothes for camping are almost all packed. The food is largely arranged, though not prepared or packed yet. I voted. The library re-opened and I celebrated by paying our fines. The children took books out. I'm going back with a camera - hopefully tomorrow - to show everyone what it's like. Linnea particularly liked the gypsy caravan; the BfN crowd liked the wipe-clean floor inthe multi-purpose room; I liked the fact that there are toilets now.
Now that it's back in the library I can go back to being really active in the BfN clinic. They do still need me, which is a bit flattering and a bit wearying. I am getting tired of counteracting the bad work of the health service. Though it's worse for my co-volunteers in the health service, I presume, who have to do what I do and fight to improve the standard of breastfeeding information available to and from their colleagues.
So, so much of what I help with would be fixed if healthcare providers would just listen to and trust women, too. An awful lot of what we say is "Yes, you're right, that's right, well done, isn't she gorgeous, would you like a drink? You're doing marvellously." And then there's "Trust yourself and your baby, no, that's not a bad sign, she's just figuring out what to do, look, she's getting it, there, that looks good, how does it feel to you?" Actually telling people to try something other than what they do without thinking is really rare. This was my first face-to-face supporting in ages and it just hasn't changed much. That's tiring.
I also had Another Ethical Consumer Failure; I bought Marmite (made by Unilever) during the week and today we ate sandwiches bought from Tesco's cheapest range. And I bought cherries there too, and they were delicious. I am feeling slightly guilty for actually not feeling guilty about that, too, but only slightly. I put tons of effort into living up towards my principles, and there are limits. Sometimes those limits are at instalunch, imported industrial fruit, and Marmite.
Then we had a guest - one of my imaginary friends becoming real - and after she left to visit one of her partners Rob cooked a lovely dinner.
At some point I discovered that my glasses had been put on the floor and walked on (the latter was an accident, I'm fairly certain - the former was a tantrum) and Rob rang around to see about getting replacement frames; he zipped home, zipped back into town to show someone the break, and has been given the address of a branch of the opticians which does stock the frames to fit my lenses and I can have new frames tomorrow.
New glasses would take a whole week. If we can't replace the frames I will have superglued glasses with gaffa tape on the nose, while camping. I suppose it would give an interesting tan-line.
I really, really need chocolate.
Now that it's back in the library I can go back to being really active in the BfN clinic. They do still need me, which is a bit flattering and a bit wearying. I am getting tired of counteracting the bad work of the health service. Though it's worse for my co-volunteers in the health service, I presume, who have to do what I do and fight to improve the standard of breastfeeding information available to and from their colleagues.
So, so much of what I help with would be fixed if healthcare providers would just listen to and trust women, too. An awful lot of what we say is "Yes, you're right, that's right, well done, isn't she gorgeous, would you like a drink? You're doing marvellously." And then there's "Trust yourself and your baby, no, that's not a bad sign, she's just figuring out what to do, look, she's getting it, there, that looks good, how does it feel to you?" Actually telling people to try something other than what they do without thinking is really rare. This was my first face-to-face supporting in ages and it just hasn't changed much. That's tiring.
I also had Another Ethical Consumer Failure; I bought Marmite (made by Unilever) during the week and today we ate sandwiches bought from Tesco's cheapest range. And I bought cherries there too, and they were delicious. I am feeling slightly guilty for actually not feeling guilty about that, too, but only slightly. I put tons of effort into living up towards my principles, and there are limits. Sometimes those limits are at instalunch, imported industrial fruit, and Marmite.
Then we had a guest - one of my imaginary friends becoming real - and after she left to visit one of her partners Rob cooked a lovely dinner.
At some point I discovered that my glasses had been put on the floor and walked on (the latter was an accident, I'm fairly certain - the former was a tantrum) and Rob rang around to see about getting replacement frames; he zipped home, zipped back into town to show someone the break, and has been given the address of a branch of the opticians which does stock the frames to fit my lenses and I can have new frames tomorrow.
New glasses would take a whole week. If we can't replace the frames I will have superglued glasses with gaffa tape on the nose, while camping. I suppose it would give an interesting tan-line.
I really, really need chocolate.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-04 10:33 pm (UTC)You are good. You help people and make the world better thereby.
( I thought you might like the icon because I first learned of that poem through you, I think).
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-05 06:51 am (UTC)I guess we are getting the experts, since Ben is only staying in the Rosie until he is feeding properly (he started on a drip since the scans had wrongly suggested he might have problems with his stomach), but that is basically what we get from NHS staff.
They do have a lot more to offer when we ask for something more specific (like "In the last two hours he has spent more than half the time sucking very well and there is still lots of milk. Why is he crying ?" Answers: "Wind" and "Yes, they really can still be that hungry").