I have been reading with great interest all the posts about the new CBC
credential. I agree with everyone--on both sides of the fence. However, I
have been very concerned over the last few years about the growing number of

"breastfeeding counselors" that have taken a one week course or less and now
see themselves as credentialed.  As a WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator I have
interviewed many Peer Counselors that I would never consider for our program
because they were trained elsewhere but didn't appear to have even basic
breastfeeding knowledge.  

I see this new credential as a way to standardize the knowledge base, and
have a reliable test that is independently reviewed so that when someone
calls themselves a CBC they would be held to a predetermined standard.  I
think, in the long run, the various agencies that hire Peer Counselors would
save money since there would be a pool of trained counselors from which they
could draw and not be responsible for training.  

For years I have been infuriated by women calling themselves "Lactation
Consultants" in communities, or in hospitals, because they took a class,
sometimes for 3 hours, and were given a "certificate".  It dilutes the
credibility of ALL of us.

No one thinks a Paralegal is a Lawyer.  It's just a matter of education.  It
has taken at least 15 years for IBCLC to be so widely recognized.  When I
took the exam the first time in 1986, NO ONE knew what it was.  It will be
the same with this new credential.  It will only serve to make IBCLC worth
more to those of us who have gone the extra mile to get it. 

Anyway, that's my 2 cents--though I surely could go on for hours on this
subject!

Barbara Leshin-Zucker, IBCLC

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