This topic crops up from time to time and invariably takes lots of energy
with little to show for it.  It gets very divisive and huffy, very fast.
The title 'lactation consultant' is not a legally protected title; anyone
who wants to do so, may call themselves an LC.  The title IBCLC is only for
use by persons who have passed the IBCLE exam, and since there are clear
requirements that must be fulfilled before one can sit the exam, there is
more weight in this title.
There is no independent body that confers an LC title on anyone.  That is
what makes it less weighty; it is a title, not a credential.  There are next
to no public regulatory agencies (are there any at all, actually?) that
recognize the IBCLC title, so it could be regulated as well.  This is a
problem in many ways.

The list of persons/institutions/organizations that offer courses in
'lactation management' is not appropriate for LN because it will invariably
be incomplete, and it would constitute free advertising to all those who got
listed.  You might try a Google search for lactation consultant courses; the
sheer number of hits you get should be a tipoff that this is very unclear
ground.

Please see the archives on the topic of credentials.  It should be self
evident why we want to cut this discussion short now.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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