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International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) have been working in the health care field for over 35 years in the United States and around the world.

 

IBCLCs works in hospital maternity and pediatric care units to provide clinical lactation services to families and lactation education to staff.  In the outpatient setting, lactation consultants work in private practices independently, or in medical practices or public health settings.  Lactation consultants can be employed by corporations to provide workplace lactation services or work for government or other health care agencies.  Their expertise is used to develop and implement policies to support, protect, and promote breastfeeding.  Some IBCLCs carry out breastfeeding-related research.

WHAT IS AN IBCLC?

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IBCLCs are certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). Depending on their educational and professional backgrounds, IBCLCs must have:

 

  • over 90% of IBCLCs are certified through Pathway 1 requiring 1000 hours of supervised lactation-specific clinical experience

  • 90 hours of didactic education in human lactation and breastfeeding

  • Training in another health care field or 14 college level courses in health sciences

 

Following this education and training, they must pass an exam from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners which operates independent of any educator or training programs. IBCLCs repeat the exam every 10 years, and in the interval, re-certify at 5 years with 75 hours of lactation specific continuing education.

 

  

The U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding states, "International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) are the only health care professionals certified in lactation care."

 

Additionally, the Surgeon General's Call to Action recommends in Action Step 11 the need to make IBCLC services available by policy changes.  The Surgeon General has published implementation strategies for doctors, nurses, and health care leaders.  These documents summarize Action Step 11 as follows:

 

  • Guarantee equitable access to services provided by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants

  • Include support for lactation as an essential medical service for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children

  • Ensure that reimbursement of IBCLCs is not dependent on their having other professional certification or licensure

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