What is a lactation counselor?

Feeding a tiny human with your body is normal but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The first few days, weeks, and months can feel heavy and daunting, even if it’s something you’ve done before with another little one. Luckily, there are a number of lactation professionals that exist to help out you and other lactating individuals when things get tough.

Here are some of the acronyms out there:

CBC- Certified Breastfeeding Counselor

BFC- Breastfeeding Counselor

CLE- Certified Lactation Educator

CLC- Certified Lactation Counselor

ALC- Advanced Lactation Counselor

IBCLC- International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

LC- Lactation Counselor/Consultant

For the sake of this blog post, we’re going to focus on what exactly a CLC is and does, as that’s my current title.

A lactation counselor is a healthcare provider recognized as an expert in the fields of human lactation and bodyfeeding counseling. They are dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of human lactation to prevent and solve problems that may arise in lactating people. Certified lactation counselors can provide counseling and management in the following places:

• Maternity units in hospitals and birth centers

• Neonatal intensive care units and special care nurseries

• Outpatient lactation clinics

• WIC programs

• Visiting nurse programs

• Maternal and child health services at varying levels

• Parenting centers

• Physician and midwife offices

• Private practice (like me!)

CLCs must take and pass a comprehensive course and an examination by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP).

What makes lactation counselors different from lactation consultants?

In essence, the largest difference is in the amount of education and hours spent in clinicals. While both roles can support lactating people and their families through challenges, teach lactation classes, hold support groups, educate on lactation, help develop feeding plans, and refer out to doctors and other medical professionals, IBCLCs have more health science education and relevant experience boosting their credentials. Consultants have over 1,000 hours supporting lactation and multiple continuing education health courses while CLCs (like me) don’t require the same things to obtain our credentialing.

When it comes to what we can and can’t do, counselors can help establish good milk supply, assist with positioning and latch, give parents instructions on pumping and hand expressions, as well as other routine lactation management. Consultants can do all of that and help with more complicated bodyfeeding challenges like congenital defects, oral/motor dysfunction, mastitis, and other breast anomalies.

So why choose a counselor instead of a consultant?

It comes down to what you really need at the time. As a counselor, I am a great first line of support for bodyfeeding challenges and problems. If you need more involved care, we can refer out to the next line of defense and go from there. On average, counselors are a little more financially accessible as well. Some believe that consultants are more clinical while counselors are more holistic-minded, but it truly comes down to the individual providing the care.

Whatever you decide, just know that the best fit is the person you feel most comfortable with and who you can trust, because this is the person who will be there for some of your most vulnerable moments as a new parent to a tiny human.