Dear Colleagues,

I would like to add my thoughts to the IBLCE-why bother discussion.   
I agree that there are some serious issues facing our profession, but  
I firmly believe that we should all continue to sit for the exam and  
maintain our credential.  If we do not, then we have voluntarily  
given up on the only gold-standard credential for lactation that is  
out there.  Sure, we could start over from scratch, but why do that  
when it would be so much easier to just stick with what many good  
people have worked hard to develop, and work to improve the  
problems?  How will the random mother or lactation friendly hospital  
be able to determine who is really a gold-standard breastfeeding  
professional without the IBCLC credential?  Right now, the IBCLC  
means that the LC has cared enough about demonstrating her knowledge  
and commitment that she has spent her own time and money to earn the  
IBCLC.  Obviously half of all IBCLCs will be below average in their  
knowledge and skills, but that doesn't mean we should just chuck the  
whole thing!

Earning the IBCLC for me has been one of the things I am most proud  
of.  Just because there are currently some serious problems does not  
take away what I get out of knowing that I am an IBCLC and being able  
to offer the assurance to mothers that I am not just some random  
person calling themselves an LC.  I can proudly say that I have  
completely 2500 clinical hours working with other mothers and babies  
in their situation, AND I have passed a very rigorous exam.  There is  
no other credential out there that can say that.

There is no perfect system.  But if all the excellent people leave  
the "pretty good" system, then we will be left with a bad system.   
There is a saying, "the perfect is the enemy of the good."  I know we  
are all in this field because we believe in giving of ourselves to  
the cause of mothers and babies, not because we need to make the most  
money or have the most prestige.  So think about what maintaining the  
institution of IBLCE will do for breastfeeding, even if it is  
currently facing some difficult issues.  Not that you need to "give  
up" and adopt the bad SOP, just spend some time thinking of what the  
credential DOES for us, rather than what it doesn't do.  Then let's  
figure out how we can get involved (even in a small way) in fixing  
things.

Warmly,
Lynnette Hafken, MA, Mother of 3, LLLL, IBCLC

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