Brava, Jane !

I came to this field as a postpartum doula almost 20 years ago;
desiring to acquire more knowledge regarding breastfeeding
(beyond my personal experience) I reached out to LLLI and
became a peer counselor.  I also took a peer counseling course
with Lamaze.

Still desiring more information and contact with breastfeeding
moms, I became a LLLLeader a while back and last year, acquired my
CLC.  I'm done racking up credentials !

I know my limits.  I give basic information to moms who have
medical issues (or baby having medical issues) to the IBCLCs in my
life.  I use to pass on multiple births, but am now comfortable
with supporting them solo (barring complicated weight-gaining issues).

I stay in close contact with the moms I support professionally and
as a volunteer, and, will not hesitate to refer to an IBCLC if something
seems amiss.

As with any profession, no matter how educated you are (or how many
letters you have after your name) you've got to know when you are in
over your head and need to either reach out/refer to someone with more
wisdom/education.

Kathy

LLLL


Katherine Koncelik, CPD, CLC
     -------------------------------
Treasurer
Co-Founder
Long Island Doula Assoc., Inc.
A 501.c.3 Not-For-Profit Charitable Corporation
		631.581.1066







On Mar 3, 2013, at 1:16 PM, Jaye Simpson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> "There is no situation in which a mother might need an "RN/IBCLC to
> help her breastfeed. If an RN or an MD or a JD or PhD or anyone else
> happens to be an IBCLC, then the other credential is not relevant to
> breastfeeding. The IBCLC is the only credential ever required to
> assist a breastfeeding mother, unless the concern is a medical one. We
> have simply got to stop tying the IBCLC credential to the medical
> field or we will never be the profession we are meant to be. "
> 
> While I understand the sentiment behind the above statement and agree
> with it to a degree, I actually have to disagree with it as a whole.
> 
> To say that the IBCLC is the only credential ever required completely
> ignores the many other peer to peer/mother to mother support people
> out there helping on a daily basis.  Not everyone needs to be an IBCLC
> to help a mother breastfeed.  And the IBCLC credential is certainly
> not required to do so.
> 
> In regards to other credentials being relevant or not, I think they
> all can add something to the IBCLC's repertoire in helping the mother
> to breastfeed and in a variety of different ways.  Breastfeeding isn't
> just putting the baby to breast these days - those are the easy cases
> many of us wish we could see at least once or twice a year.  Those are
> the cases where mothers do not necessarily need an IBCLC to help - A
> PC, LLLL, BfUSA BC, CLE, or good friend experienced in nursing can
> help just fine.  However, these other credentials lend themselves to
> the breastfeeding mother in a myriad of ways that can be very
> important to her.  We encompass so much more as IBCLCs these days it
> is important, I feel, to recognize what we each have to offer with our
> other skills and credentials.
> 
> I truly believe there are times when the RN aspect as an IBCLC comes
> in VERY handy.  I know there are many times in my own career where
> being an RN would have helped me help a mother get the assistance she
> needed much faster.  Also, having a bit of a medical background could
> certainly help the mother who has special needs that require medical
> assistance in relation to breastfeeding.  While I have learned more
> medically related stuff than I ever thought possible over the past 18
> yrs in the field, I certainly do not have a medical background.
> 
> Breastfeeding has become medically entangled due to birth practices,
> our need to know about medications and how they may or may not impact
> mom and baby; the need to know about hormonal issues in moms with low
> milk supply; the need to know about structural issues and how they
> affect the baby's ability to suck; the need to know how the nervous
> system is affected by those structural issues;  the need to know how
> different medical conditions in baby and/or mother may or may not
> affect breastfeeding; How gut health may or may not affect milk
> supply; how to recognize t-t and how to ensure that ties are properly
> revised.  As IBCLCs many of study, research and teach this stuff.
> And it is ALL Medically important.  Many of us IBCLCs know more about
> these medically important issues than the Medical Profession moms have
> to work with in order to help get these things resolved.
> 
> The fact that these are ALL medically related issues says to me (at
> least) that as much as we may NOT want the IBCLC field to be
> medicalized, it already HAS BEEN both out of necessity and by the
> IBLCE pulling it that way.  Whether we agree with it or not, I
> seriously doubt it will change so I think the key is to not become SO
> ingrained into the medical model that we lose sight of what IBCLCs are
> primarily all about, what we started off as - helping mothers to
> breastfeed and understanding, promoting and assisting others in
> knowing what normal breastfeeding is all about.
> 
> I would love to see the argument between the 'sides' medical vs
> not-medical stop and rather, start embracing what we all have to
> offer.  In-fighting is a problem and it shows the world not a very
> pretty picture.  I have been privy to many discussions both public and
> private over the last year that sadden me - people who just are so set
> in their 'place' that they refuse to see what is offered by the 'other
> side'.  There truly is a medical ground...  We need, as a profession,
> to stop saying this or that is the end all be all of Lactation
> anything.  We need to start honoring each others contributions - when
> we see that we are lacking in education we need to go look for it.  We
> all need to be the best we can be, and work together to help the
> mothers - because when it comes right down to it THEY are why we are
> all here in this field - to help THEM and the Babies.  So...Let's do
> it.
> 
> Warmly,
> Jaye Simpson, CLE, IBCLC, RLC, CIIM, BC
> 
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