This is the problem, and the exasperation. 
 
Count me among those who wish to see advanced credentials from the IBLCE, not weaker credentials and muddier waters.  The IBLCE (and all of us) should work to educate the public on the entry level IBCLC and how different members of a "team" can support moms (LLLLs, WIC peer counselors, IBCLCs, doulas, midwives, various HCPs).  We should be seen as working together in support of mothers and children, not as separate factors in a greater confusion.
 
One of my concerns with sanctioning a lesser credential is that the less you know, the more difficult it is to recognize red flags and yellow ones.  I have long been troubled by the concept that someone with less experience/education will simply refer mothers on to specialized help.  Watching myself grow over the years, learning from other practitioners, and observing mothers I've helped after swimming through the alphabet soup, I've come to the conclusion that even with the best of intentions we don't always know the moment we're over our heads.  I continue to learn, I'm sure we all do, but I think the IBCLC is truly the bare minimum for a lactaton credential the public can trust.
  
Susan Johnson MFA, IBCLC
 

The Q is:  why is the entity, that is the SOLE provider of the IBCLC
credential, bothering to jump into the market of about six or seven
competitors, to provide a well-contructed test for Something Less Than
IBCLC?  Oh, wait -- and for just one country: the USA?  Why aren't they
using the dollars they collect from their extant international constituency
(that would be us IBCLC-test-takers and re-certifiers), to Educate The World
about what an "IBCLC" is?

IBLCE cannot get rid of, not regulate, any of the other classes and courses
out there.  So adding an IBLCE Flavor to the Alphabet Soup Mix will not
ensure that mothers get assistance that is a guarantee of "minimum training
and competence."

Liz Brooks JD IBCLC
Wyndmoor, PA, USA




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