Brilliant and informative!

Who is NOT a Lactation Consultant? | The Second 9 Months

Great article, but I think it's unfair to say that someone without an IBCLC behind their name is useless when it comes to breastfeeding support.
I do more support with breastfeeding than just the hour or two after birth. In fact, if I hadn't been accessible as a resource to my last client who was sent home with a nipple shield by a probably well meaning nurse, and known enough about what was going on to suggest an IBCLC, then my client likely would still be having issues now.
I've also volunteered my time with peer support breastfeeding, and I know when someone just needs advice and support and when someone needs additional resources outside my knowledge. To say that there should be nobody but an IBCLC meddling in the affairs of the breast is crazy.
To be clear- I get what this woman is trying to say and I 100% respect IBCLCs and the work they've done to earn that title, but these sorts of things infuriate me. Imagine us as doulas posting something about how nobody other than a doula can be a birth support person? That lovely nurses or family members who are compassionate and experienced can't and shouldn't help the laboring woman and if they meddle where they aren't "certified" than she's bound to suffer....
Sometimes breastfeeding isn't going "perfectly" there isn't a need for an IBCLC, just a shoulder to lean on, or advice as to how to get comfortable and latch on, etc. Knowing when to refer out should be the important message IMO.

I took minor issue with the comments about breastfeeding counselors. I have a CBC credential, the course that I took was one that our local IBCLCs could take to obtain the CERPS needed to re-certify or to sit for the IBCLC exam it also was a class that awarded college credits. It was a three week class. The two IBCLC's I refer to started out as CBC's through the same program and went on to get their IBCLC.

My training allows me to identify problems, address minor issues (latch, positioning, etc) and more importantly requires me to refer on when things are beyond my ability to assist. I have two great IBCLC's that I refer to on a regular basis, however there are times they miss things I notice and times I miss things they notice.

I agree that there is confusion in general about all the alphabet soup that exists in the lactation community, but I'm always up front with my clients as to what I am capable of and honest about the need to refer them on to someone else when necessary.

First, I should let you know that I have lovingly lifted some of this reply from another wise support person - she just said it so well - however, most of it is all mine.

I think that at the root of this conversation is the lack of standardization with regard to lactation credentials *other than* IBCLC.

I am both IBCLC and CLC (and Birth and Postpartum doula) and my personal experience regarding acquiring the CLC credential included a 5-day course, and an exam on the fifth day. It was, indeed, an in-depth and respected 5-day course, but 5-days, nonetheless, and certainly did not include exposure to much outside the realm of normal.

I know many CLCs, CLEs, LEs, CBCs (and MDs and RNs) and other credentialed and non-certified women who possess an extremely large body of knowledge in the field of lactation. Yet, I have learned (and continue to realize) that you have no idea what you don't know until your horizons are broadened and you see how much you didn't know before.

Families should know that IBCLCs are the only "across the board" standard of care. With an IBCLC you KNOW that is a professional who is required to test and pursue continuing education credit in order to maintain their credential. You KNOW that is a professional who has accumulated thousands of contact and education hours BEFORE becoming certified. Etc., etc. There is nothing offensive about that, and within the realm of alphabet soup that exists within the lactation realm, the IBCLC *is* the only standard.



Megan, I re-read the article and nowhere was this stated. Of course other individuals can support a laboring woman. Nurses or other compassionate caregivers are capable or even a preferred source of support for an individual, but that shouldn't mean that doulas do not advocate for themselves, request fair compensation, strive to get the best education and training available, pursue mentoring opportunities, and evolve in the profession to become better at what we do.



That is great that you do! But how can we be sure that every other lactation specialist does? Many years of experience has exposed me to many train wrecks in breastfeeding. Sometimes these train wrecks have come from other breastfeeding support people over-extending and misunderstanding their limitations. When in doubt: REFER. I am an IBCLC and I REFER to other more qualified IBCLCs in certain cases. When I don't know, I say "I don't know". You may do that, Megan, but we both know that not everybody does.



Again, this was not stated, or implied, in the article.




Yes! And this is how it should be. It would be lovely if we could *finally* come together as professionals to recognize the disparity lies mainly in the lack of standardization of any credential other than IBCLC. All of us come from different backgrounds and we each are strong and weak in certain areas.

This article left me fuming. I understand the necessity of pointing out the legitimacy of adequate lactation support, but instead of casting aside all other lactation support professionals other than IBCLC it would have been more ground breaking for this person to outline the scope of practice for each support person. I do not know many breastfeeding counselors who try to act like consultants around here. For many women, breastfeeding counselors are a good first step to learn about the basics of lactation, to learn about themselves and their goals, and what they are willing to do to make it work. Not many CLC or CBC's are trying to diagnose or treat anything around here and have no problem referring out to the amazing IBCLC's around here.

Where are you located Que? You may be fortunate that where you live those that are not IBCLC's are not presenting themselves as a option that is just as good but rather staying within their particular SOP and giving educated and compassionate support to breastfeeding dyads. However, in speaking with others in the lactation community, this is not the case in all corners of the world. Unfortunately, only licensure will be a step in the right direction for consumers and HCPs to know exactly who's who in the field of lactation.