Heather Hamilton writes:

I number of years ago, I attended the wonderful CLC certification course with Healthy Children's Center for Breastfeeding. This extremely interesting course was inspiring! I became certain that I wanted to become an IBCLC and I spent about two years trying to figure out the best "Route to Certification" for me. Unfortunatley, I am not a health professional, so I considered returning to nursing school. I also considered the other routes to become an IBCLC. Ultimately, I had to let go of this dream. The road was too long. I am a single parent of a 3 year-old and, realistically, I don't have the resources to complete all of the required coursework. 
My question now is: How can I offer help to mothers? I realize that a breastfeeding mother needs an IBCLC (and in some cases an RN/IBCLC) to provide advice in and out of the hospital setting. But surely there is a place for someone like me who wants to help mothers whose situation is not complex but who may be struggling with breastfeeding. 

I looked into becoming a Peer Counselor with WIC, but I do not qualify. Here in Texas, you have to have used WIC services in order to become a peer counselor. Another option for me might be to become a Leader with La Leche League. 

I would love to hear some advice on how I might move forward. Are there any other venues for me. I don't want to let this dream go even though becoming an IBCLC is out-of-reach for me.



To which Nikki Lee responded:


One does not need the IBLCE-credential to help mothers.  Many famous
breastfeeding experts have no lactation credential. (Think of Suzanne
Colson, Kittie Frantz, Chloe Fisher, and Jack Newman.) In the US, there are
plenty of CLCs in doctor's offices, in WIC offices, and other places.

Anyone can help a mother with breastfeeding. The degree of help needed
depends on the challenge offered. Most common, ordinary, garden-variety
breastfeeding needs encouragement and some practical advice. This is found
in nursing mothers groups, and from other mothers. This is how La Leche
League started, with mothers talking with other mothers.

The greater the challenge, the more educated and/or experienced the
breastfeeding helper needs to be. A La Leche League leader with years of
experience is a fabulous resource. So is a licensed medical professional
with a passion and expertise in breastfeeding. So is an IBCLC.

I wonder if the underlying question was "How do I earn money providing
breastfeeding help?"







While I agree with Nikki that there are many ways to help bfing mothers without the IBCLC credential, and certainly my own background in LLL attests to that belief, I do not see the examples she gives as the best ones to illustrate her point. All of the above are medical providers--nurse, midwife or physician, while Heather has none of those backgrounds. 

I think that in the US, both LLL and Breastfeeding USA are excellent options for someone motivated to support bfing mothers w/o a credential and often those qualifications can lead to surprising opportunities. For example, I wrote a grant and developed and facilitated a clinic-based peer counselor program while I was an LLLL--before becoming IBCLC. Sometimes, you have an idea or incentive no one else does and you can create something new. And, who knows, Heather, perhaps once you have accumulated hours as a volunteer, you will feel so much closer to the IBCLC credential (especially as you have already taken the CLC course), that you will be find the other requirements seem more within reach and you will achieve your full goal. 

One thing I do wonder about is the comment that "I realize that a breastfeeding mother needs an IBCLC (and in some cases an RN/IBCLC) to provide advice in and out of the hospital setting. ". 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. 



Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, USA & France
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC

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