Rebecca,
I'm not surprised that you are finding some resistence to your
practicing without IBLCE certification.  Imagine if someone took a 6
week course, and called herself a "Certified Nurse" and applied for your
job.

There is room for every level of breastfeeding help, but many people who
have only taken a one-stop course don't even know what they don't know.
There is a very different skill set for private practice seeing the
"train wrecks" than there is for helping mothers initiate breastfeeding
in the average postpartum unit.

I don;t know you personally, so I don't know what your level of
competence is, but I want you to understand what goes through people's
minds when they hear someone has course conferred credentials rather
than board certification and is charging mothers for services.  ILCA has
accepted IBCLC as the minimum competence standard for lactation
consultant practice.

As for finding a mentor, have you joined the Westchester, Putnam,
Rockland Lactation Consortium?  Personal contacts usually are more
successful than anonymous telephone contacts.  If you get to know the
local IBCLCs, perhaps you will "click" with one or more of them and find
a mentor.  Another suggestion would be to look in neighboring counties.
Some people are hesitant to train someone who lives really nearby.

--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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