Dear Susan and all-
I think the more common term would be "Breastfeeding Coach." Actually, when
my daughter's softball coach was pregnant, she asked me if I would be her
breastfeeding coach once the baby was born. As a mental health
professional, life coaching is receiving a lot of attention. The idea of
coaching is more on building on the positive rather than emphasizing the
negative. Breastfeeding fits in well, emphasizing the infant's biological
predisposition to breastfeed, helping the mother to enhance such instincts.
There is a code of ethics for coaches. Not a whole lot of regulation, as
far as I can tell. Also not a lot of insurance reimbursement since they
don't focus on "illness" (once again breastfeeding friendly) but rather on
enhancing wellness. Maybe the whole wellness movement will help us, too.
When I was preparing to take my written and oral examinations for my
marriage family therapist license, I remember talking with a colleague about
the pros and cons of doing so and receiving that coveted piece of paper. At
the time, and still now, there are many other paths to take. They do not
have the same prestige or credibility tied to the name. In the
breastfeeding world, where insurance reimbursement is at such a low rate,
that might not matter anyway. The community in which you practice will know
of your experience and expertise. Maybe you couldn't practice in certain
public health locations but you could certainly practice independently.
Mary WD
>I'm also thinking (seriously) about marketing myself as a "Personal Breas=
tfeeding Trainer".=20=20 Definitely not kidding. There are so many personal
trainers in >Manhattan= that it might even yield a=20 higher income than a
measly IBCLC. Now if I could market myself as a "Pe= rsonal
Breastfeeding=20 Trianer to the Stars" (which >would actually be easy to do
if I didn't hav= e this serious problem with a=20 hyperactive gag reflex ---
Cathy Genna can you help me out on this one?) = I'd actually make a=>20
decent enough living that I might be able to move out of my rent stabiliz=
ed one bedroom=20 apartment.
>The more I think about this the more I become totally serious about the i=
dea of figuring out how=20 personal trainers are regulated and how to
develop a new profession >that = will help women for=20 long-term
breastfeeding in a nonmedicalized manner. Restructuring the ho= spital
environment in=20 the United States is impossible right now >given the
current state of heal= th insurance and hospital=20 staffing. Since 1999
when I had my son, I am seeing a serious decline in= the abilty of
in-hospital=20 staff >to provide adequate care, however well meaning and
well intentioned= they are. More and=20 more I get complaints about how
women were not able to see the lactation = >consultant or if they=20 did,
the poor lactation consultant had such a workload that she was only = able
to spend a few=20 minutes with the woman.
>Most of what we provide is not medical at all. In fact, none of it is. =
It is listening, comforting,=20 evaluting how to get mom to feel more
comfortable and referring >(when one= is lucky enough to=20 have such
professionals available) to breastfeeding medicine speicialists= who
actually know=20 something about breastfeeding medicine. I >am lucky in that
I have one tru= sted breastfeeding=20 medicine specialist that I can call on
a regular basis and another realti= vely new to me specialist=20=20 that I
am >hoping to get to know better.=20
>Best regards, Susan E. Burger
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