What Is An IBCLC®?
The International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential identifies an experienced member of the maternal-child health care team who has specialized clinical skills in lactation management and infant feeding.
IBCLCs have to take a minimum of 14 undergraduate health science courses at an accredited university or college, at least 90 hours of lactation specific education, and complete between 300-1000 supervised clinical hours. (This requires more clinical hours than most nursing programs demand for eligibility to sit for the NCLEX). After completion of these criteria and verification by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, Inc. (www.iblce.org) the IBCLC candidate is eligible to sit for a rigorous examination. Attainment of the IBCLC credential signifies that the practitioner has demonstrated the clinical knowledge to provide holistic, evidence-based, family-centered care from preconception to weaning. To work together with families to develop and implement individualized feeding plans to prevent and solve lactation and feeding problems while collaborating with other members of the health care team.
IBCLCs must also keep up with current research. Proof of continuing education by accredited entities is required to maintain certification. IBCLCs must take 75 continuing education credits every 5 years or retake the accreditation exam. This is equivalent to the continuing education required to maintain a registered nursing license in the state of New Jersey. All IBCLCs wishing to maintain the credential must re-sit for the IBCLC exam every 10 years.
Some of the diverse situations and obstacles we can assist you with:
Latching issues, sore/damaged nipples, engorgement, breast pain, thrush, vasospasms
Plugged ducts, clogged nipple pores, mastitis, breast abscesses
Obtaining a pump from your insurance company, choosing and learning how to use a pump, safe human milk handling and storage, exclusive pumping, hand expression, weaning from the pump, returning to work or school outside the home, and introducing bottles
Getting an exclusively bottle-fed baby back to the breast
Exclusive pumping
How to tell if baby is getting enough milk
Inadequate milk supply, increasing milk supply, nursing with a supplemental nursing system
Understanding normal newborn behavior/sleep wake patterns, safe sleep sharing and co-sleeping practices, night weaning
How to manage feeding a newborn when you have other children to care for
Nursing multiples and tandem nursing
Biting, nursing in public, nursing strikes
Overactive let-down, oversupply
Premature babies, recent NICU graduates, infants with special needs, infants with cleft lip/palate, NAS, food intolerances, reflux, FPIES, or galactosemia
Relactation, induced lactation
Weaning off a nipple shield
Infant oral dysfunction including tethered oral tissues (tongue, lip, and buccal ties)
Insufficient glandular tissue/feeding with a supplemental nursing system
Galactagogues and lactogenic diet
Starting solids + baby led weaning
Bottle refusal
Weaning