I've been no-mail for a few days, so missed the beginning of this thread,
but scanned the archives & see there's a discussion going on about the "best
profession" re: helping/influencing women to BF.

Donna Z., I think you put it very well. I too have found that being an
RN/IBCLC is a good combination. (BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE...shouting so no one
thinks I'm getting back on that qualification for LC theme!) I think that
being an RN as well as an LC carries more weight with some parents and many
"medical" types, so that perhaps they are more willing to take what you say
seriously. Plus there's no doubt that the RN is good preparation for the
LC - I feel more confident than some non-RN LCs I know about "medical"
things. Which we know aren't necessarily "medical", but since they're viewed
as such by the medical professions, I think it enhances my own confidence to
have that background.

More important than the initials, though, is the setting of your practice.
One of the things I truly loved about my job as WIC breastfeeding
coordinator was that I had a really maximal opportunity to influence women
prenatally. And within WIC, these are especially the ones who have been
least likely to even consider BFing. By establishing a relationship during
pregnancy, including accepting them & their choices even when they tell you
"I don't want to hear one word about breastfeeding!", I found that I had a
huge chance to have an effect on their ultimate choice about feeding. Often
all they needed was a simple piece of information, a correction of a
misconception about BFing, or one single person telling them "Yes, you CAN
do it, and if you need help, that's what I'm here for!". And the number of
really, really simple BFing "saves" was so incredibly gratifying - as in,
"Go ahead and feed your baby when she's hungry; no, you don't have to wait 3
hours." - that it more than compensated for the "lost" ones. I can't tell
you (though I could, if I had my stats & records handy, 'cause I kept
track!) how many times I *know* I made the difference, and I'd be lying if I
said that's not gratifying.

I got some of that, though not nearly as much, as a hospital nurse, but
didn't get to help "empower" women to make the BF choice nearly as much. And
I sure don't see it in private practice! I only see them after birth, so
they pretty much know what they want to do, and the problems I deal with are
a lot stickier. The women are wealthier, well-educated, and well-informed,
and they hire me pretty much as a technician to "fix" a problem. So either I
can or I can't, but it's nowhere near as gratifying. Plus I don't get to see
as many new babies; for me, it's the new moms and the silly little babies
that I truly love most, just in terms of my own selfish motivation for this
work. I never, ever, get tired of new moms & babies, even when I saw dozens
a day!

So, for my two cents' worth, it's WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator all the way!
(And I haven't even mentioned how exciting and inspiring it is to work with
the peer counselors.)

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY

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