Sorry if my orginal post was not clear; thanks for the opportunity to
clarify.

My objective was not to say who can and cannot become lactation
consultants, but to illustrate that this is an experience driven
profession.  I wanted to convey two ideas-  That it takes time to gain
hours in breastfeeding counseling (so the "fast track" to being an IBCLC
is not that fast to begin with) and that there are young people, (pre
family pre-degree of any kind) who want to become lactation consultants as
their primary career who have large experience handicaps to overcome.
This pushes the age of some of the (IMO) most dedicated and excited people
looking to be involved in the lactation profession up even
further.

The path to lactation is through two major ways, being a breastfeeding
mother and participating in a peer support group and/or being a medical
professional.  Until rather recently, one did not have the opportunity to
go to an undergraduate program to become a lactation consultant.  (Healthy
Children now offers a bachelors in Maternal Health-Lactation and I am sure
there are others I do not know about.  Since currently many hospitals are
reluctant to hire non RN IBCLC's (as silly as we know that is), I have no
idea if a bachelors in Lactation is a "hire-able" degree at this time,
although it may be adventageous in the future). In order to earn the gold
standard in lactation, the IBCLC, one must have experience in counseling
breastfeeding mothers.  Gaining experience takes time regardless of
background, this automatically pushes the age of working lactation
consultants up.

There are a number of people coming out of college (and even high school)
for at least the last 10 years who have never breastfed a baby or have any
kind of medical background who want to become lactation consultants.
There are very few opportunities for these individuals.  Even women who
have babies find it difficult if they are not members of a large peer
support group (Like LLL or less well known, Nursing Mother's Council).  I
have my BSN, RN now, but I did not have it at 20 (the time I knew I wanted
to be a Lactation Consultant).  Doors did not begin to open for me until I
was a nursing student and they did not open wide until I had graduated.
My interest in breastfeeding pre-dates my entrance to nursing school.
Orginally I was a theatre and education major.  I studied every text book
and breastfeeding book available. I wrote research papers on breastfeeding
for every college class.  I talked about breastfeeding with anyone who
would listen.  I learned from nursing mothers and I helped nursing
mothers.  If I found something I did not know how to do or a problem I
could not solve, I called my very patient and encouraging lactation
consultant MIL, for more suggestions or help in mechanics.  As a result, I
knew more about lactation than any of my instructors in nursing school.
Nursing school taught me very little about lactation, but boy was it my
ticket into the "inner circle."  It seemed, and still seems, to be a
rather round about way to become a lactation professional.

Who would want to be a lactation consultant if they have never breastfed a
baby or worked with nursing mothers in a medical capacity?  I guess the
same people who graduate High School knowing that they want to be
midwives.  The same people who have never had a baby and want to be
doulas.  People who feel called to help women, babies and families during
pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.  They know intuitively that
breastfeeding is important and women across all cultures need help in
achieving their breastfeeding goals.

I did not comment on the unwelcoming atmosphere in the lactation field for
newbies.  I would like to address that very briefly.  At the International
Conference on the Theory and Practice of Human Lactation Research and
Breastfeeding Managment this year in Orlando, the question was asked why
more young people were not coming into lactation.  I cannot remember
exactly who replied, but one panel member put it very well-  "We eat our
young."

Warmly,

Charity

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