Hi All,

Several responses to my post about looking at NORMAL moms & babies brought
up good points. My purpose was not to criticize those who already know
normal. Unfortunately, not everyone who is sitting for the exam is
well-prepared and knowledgeable about normal BF!  In the exam prep course I
teach including a mock exam, we often have students who have never seen a
normal BF baby over 1 month old. Many have never been to LLL or a similar
breastfeeding support group meeting. Just last week I got a call from
someone who had been to several 1 and 2-day conferences, read parts of "BF
and Human Lactation" and has worked in a maternity unit for 7 years. She has
never attended a LLL meeting, did not BF her children, and has never helped
any mom with BF past the first 1-2 days in hospital. She has not read the
Breastfeeding Answer Book nor the LC Series nor the Womanly Art of
Breastfeeding or a similar book. She wanted to look at clinical slides.
Could she pass the exam?  Maybe. Does she really know normal BF?  I
seriously doubt it. Will studying slides help?  Not much.

I was one of the original designers of the first (1985) exam but do not now
have access to the test. The picture questions usually do not ask you to
identify the rare and unusual situation. For someone with lots of experience
in normal BF, they are usually the easiest part of the test. The test is
more about knowing and understanding normal breastfeeding and what STOPS it,
than memorization of trivial facts that are of little practical use at 2 am
when mothers need immediate and compassionate help.

The exam Candidate's Guide has sample questions in it - if you are sitting
the exam, be sure to read these carefully. There are exam prep courses and
guides around, and the sooner you take one, the better you will be able to
prepare yourself. Like Kathy Auerbach said, don't wait till the last minute!
And don't cram. This exam is about helping mothers, not your biology final.

Coach Smith's FIVE RULES might be helpful:

#1 Feed the baby. If this is one of the choices, it's usually the best
option. Direct BF is nearly always the first choice.
#2 The mother is right (support the mother). This is an attitude that most
certainly WILL be tested.
#3 It's her baby (again, an attitude)
#4 Nobody knows it all
#5 There's another way.

Good luck to those taking the exam this year.  I have a short article on
this on my web page under "professional development."

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
Dayton, OH USA
http://www.bflrc.com and www.Lact-Ed.com