Linda,

At the risk of sparking off another debate on initials and certification, I
would just like to add my 2 penno'worth into the fray.  I studied for three
years to become a BFC and am registered with the National Childbirth Trust and
am widely recognised in my country.

I cannot claim the thousands of hours of clinical practice required for an IBCLC
(however much I would like it).  I would struggle to do this on a voluntarily
basis, however I can claim many hundreds of study hours, further reading and so
on.

So I am assuming that you are referring to all the certificates and
accreditations you have in the US here and are not talking worldwide.

Sue Holden (no initials)
National Childbirth Trust Breastfeeding Counsellor
Harrogate, UK



"Linda J. Smith" wrote:

>  Currently there are only
> two legally valid, widely recognized credentials relevant to breastfeeding
> helpers - "LLL Leader," and "IBCLC."
> UNICEF and WHO have recommended two kinds of education/training programs: 18
> hours of training to fulfill Baby-Friendly Step Two, and a lactation
> management course of 40 hours.

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