Jennifer wrote,

> It has to do with a woman's world view, her self-identification as a
> bf'ing mother, her willingness to fall in love, to surrender, to attach,
> to "be" a mother. Mothers need to be supported in a whole way,
>
What a lovely post!
Since we are talking about different levels of expertise, perhaps we
should consider that  personal qualities -- being able to empathize
with, support, encourage, and truly want to help mothers -- might be
what makes the difference between an "adequate" breastfeeding counsellor
and an "expert" one.
Last night I went to a talk by a "parenting expert" that included the
statement "I wouldn't recommend this, but I did tie one of my children
to the time-out chair once." One parent whom I would consider vulnerable
took out a pen and paper at that point.
Sometimes it is easier to criticize a statement like that based on
studies on attachment, child development, etc. -- but so many of those
studies are not conclusive or not easy to apply to everyday life.
Similarly, I doubt we will ever be able to "test" some of the personal
qualities that would benefit IBCLCs, although requiring them to have a
wider view of culture and psychology will be yet another bar of gold.
The ones that know that telling a mother about the composition of
breastmilk will not necessarily help her when she is wondering if her
baby will ever sleep more than twenty minutes have skills that may or
may not be quantified on the test, but the mothers know who they are...

I have, personally, always been comfortable with the idea that LLL -
Leaders have a better grasp of mothering and the normal course of
breastfeeding and that IBCLCs (and some MDs, RNs and others who have
acquired as much or more experience and knowledge, but have no interest
in writing the exam) have a better grasp of more challenging situations
and the science behind breastfeeding. I have questions about those who
don't fall into either category, but only because I think that those who
choose a short-term course over LLL - L work have motives I don't
completely understand... and by saying this, I know I will get plenty of
replies for those who do not "espouse LLL's beliefs" and who, in so many
cases, misunderstand what we expect of Leaders (you do not have to be
vegan or a White middle class woman or bake your own bread). Counsellors
who have both the art and science are an inspiration to me. I am talking
about specific people with whom I have been lucky enough to communicate
with on and off Lactnet.
To bring this back to the subject line: I read all "parenting" magazines
with a critical, and often cranky, mind. In the many years I have read
it, I can't remember many articles that do not provide good, sound,
credible information, although its ideology is not for everyone. I would
also like to remind those of you who seem skeptical that, if you looked
at each issue, as I do, you would find many articles by Lactnetters --
Teresa Pitman's article on breastfeeding her baby more often, to truly
meet his attachment needs (I forget the title, sorry), and Kathy D's
article on "The Natural Age of Weaning", which I recently lent out to a
mother before our Group bought How Weaning Happens, come to mind. There
are real gems in Today's Parent and Mothering -- mostly those articles
written by names familiar to us.
Jo-Anne

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