This is terrible to say, but I have always considered my professional degrees as "magic initials".  I put in the time, passed the exams and then went on to do everything I had originally learned as a mother and then as a LLL Leader .   Because I had the "magic initials" I could gain entry into the medical world.  Yes, some of the info on drugs, physiology etc have helped here and there, but the basis of "lactation consulting" is the counseling part, the part we have learned through experience of following a mother more than the 2 day stay in the hospital.  

(And don't flame me - I served 5 years as a hospital based LC-1986-1991). Today's all-to-common  interventions  in birth certainly don't add to a mom or baby's ability to learn the art of breastfeeding. Hospital policies/practices may or may not get a mom off to a good start. Those of us outside the hospital help mom and baby pick up the pieces.

I don't mean to offend hospital-based maternal/child health nurses or LCs .  You and I know that the RNs/IBCLCs on this list do a good job.  It's their co-workers and  behind the times hospital policies/practices that are usually the  problem :-(  Pat in SNJ

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