The Lactnet dinner on top of Sandia peak wins bragging rights for  being the
'Highest above sea-level".  Judy Eastburn and I were very proud of ourselves
for deciding to have fun on this trip.  We are such stern task-masters we
usually never see anything but the parking lot of the hotel.  Having people
we'd gotten to know over Lactnet was a big impetus to go out and party.
What a concept!

  The conf. was wonderful -- although my brain is bulging with new,
undigested info. I came home humbled (once again) by how much I don't know.
I bought Wolf and Glass's book, and am plowing through descriptions of
cranial nerves and anatomic functions.  I keep thinking:  "Oh my god.  I
have been assisting breastfeeding babies for 17 years and I didn't know this
stuff."

Along these lines, I was disturbed by the posts from aspiring LCs who are
concerned that the standards for qualifying for the exam are too strict, or
that anyone should be able to use the letters LC.  I feel for you about the
cost and lack of mentors, etc.  We are not in a profession which promises
you big bucks even if you get your IBCLC.  I hope that changes some day. I
make no apologies about desiring to make a good living doing this work.
Other specialties are certainly not apologizing about getting paid for their
expertise. Lowering standards is not going to help establish our profession
or raise our potential for earning a living.  Nor is adopting an attitude
that anyone can be an LC just because they want to call themselves one. This
confuses the general public.  I run into people who call themselves LCs who
often give very poor advice to women who have trusted them.  In my mind this
is akin to calling yourselves a midwife and assuming this makes you
qualified to do home births.

  Frankly, there are a lot of days when I think I'M probably dangerous (due
to my ignorance,) and I'm OBSESSED about studying lactation science!  I
study every day!  I've spent every dime I could spare from feeding and
clothing my kids to go where ever there was anybody teaching anything about
breastfeeding that I didn't know.  I've shamelessly pestered my betters for
any insight or bit of information I could weasle out of them.  If my
practice goes broke, I'll get a 'real'  job and go back to donating my work
through  LLL.  But I will keep up my certification, and I will insist that
even higher standards be considered in our profession.  LCs are not
mother-to-mother peer counselors, although sometimes we may act in that
supportive mode.  What we do takes training. Lots of training. It would be
nice if that training were easier to get -- esp. in university settings.
Until then, you'd better be hungry for this knowledge, because it ain't easy.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSE, IBCLC
priv. pract