How To Become A Lactation Consultant

There are international board certified lactation consultants (IBCLCs), certified lactation educators (CLEs), and certified lactation consultants (CLCs), all of whom receive very different training.

A lactation consultant or IBCLC is a breastfeeding professional. These women teach and clinically assist breastfeeding mothers. IBCLCs are self employed or employed by hospitals and health agencies. An IBCLC is the best person to go to for breastfeeding assistance.

Lactation consultants typically spend two to five years acquiring education in the theoretical and practical aspects of assisting the breastfeeding family.

Step 1:
Talk to your place of employment. If you already work at a company that works with babies and pregnant mothers or if you are able to transition to working with lactating mothers, it is easier to become an IBCLC.

Step 2:
Speak with other IBCLCs to help you decide if this is a good career path for you. You have to be comfortable working with lactating women and their babies. You have to be very patient and informed about lactation in order to be successful in this field.

Step 3:
Contact the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). BLCE certifies lactation consultants and you have to go through them if you want to be an IBCLC.

Step 4:
Decide on a certification pathway. There are five standard pathways, with other pathways available upon approval. The biggest difference between the pathways are the number of hours you must have completed working with breastfeeding mothers (Breastfeeding Counseling hours) before you can sit for the exam. The number of hours ranges from 900 (if you're an MD) to 6000.

Step 5:
Plan on it taking you a long time to become an IBCLC due to the number of hours you must complete to become a lactation consultant.

Step 6:
Study for your exam. The exam to become an IBCLC is extremely difficult, even if you're already a registered nurse (RN) or a doctor (MD).