I live in the DC metropolitan area and nearly all of the hospitals in the area will not hire non-RN IBCLCs. The cost of meeting the requirements to get the IBCLC are high and the opportunities for paid work increasingly limited. I was told by the IBLCE that it would cost $20 per course to analyze which of my college and graduate school courses would count towards the exam requirements, in addition to all the other fees.

I also come from an LLL background and agree that having IBCLCs with a variety of experiences really helps troubleshoot issues moms are having. Instead of encouraging qualified women who have a passion for helping breastfeeding mothers, it feels like the profession is becoming more medicalized and limited. I'd like to understand why the organizations supporting IBCLCs, such as ILCA and IBLCE, seem to favor moving the certification to the RN-IBCLC model.

Beth Lichy


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