“Stretching Conference Dollars in 2019” (Bonus: a list of lactation conferences with links to registrations) by Christy Jo Hendricks

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Happy-New-Year-Status-2019

Happy New Year! And who can think of a better way to ring in the New Year than by intellectually stimulating your mind (and your hearts because we all know pretty much anything lactation-related makes our hearts happy). You may be asking, how do I enrich my knowledge-base and make my heart happy?

Christy Jo Hendricks, IBCLC, RLC, CLE, CCCE, CD

Well, that’s simple and the credit goes to Christy Jo, IBCLC, RLC, CD (DONA) & CAPPA CLE Faculty, owner of Birthing, Bonding & Breastfeeding, and her new, exciting initiative already in the works – Lactation University.

For those of you who weren’t aware, Christy Jo has also just recently founded an award-winning IBCLC prep course, which has a 100% IBCLE exam pass rate from its first year of students. Incredible, awe-inspiring and just plain brilliant!

Are you ready to see the list of all of the upcoming lactation conferences in 2019? Then just scroll down to the bottom of this post and you’ll find it there – with links to registration and costs. Thanks Christy Jo for making this so easy for us.

Are you wondering how the heck to chose which lactation conference to attend? Christy Jo has some helpful advice:

“The main considerations when selecting which educational opportunity to attend include: cost, location, date, speaker line-up and networking opportunities. Many attendees also make decisions based on who the conference will benefit, or the reputation of the organization hosting the event. Audiences may also select a conference if it provides Continuing Education Units or CEUs to attendees. I usually attend several low-cost, high-quality, local conferences and one or two international conferences annually.”

For more information on how Christy Jo stretches her hard-earned pennies to be able to take advantage (and afford) these incredible, enriching opportunities? Simply click here to find out.

Are you interested in what else Christy Jo is up to? My question is, how does she sleep?! She has so much to offer – so it’s definitely worth checking her out. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, her professional blog, professional lactation website and more, including, but not limited to helpful and practical lactation education items that are perfect for home and hospital visits, trainings and breastfeeding classes and a picture book portraying real families breastfeeding, which goes a long way in normalizing breastfeeding titled, “Mommy Feeds Baby.”

And don’t forget to sign up for Birthing, Bonding and Breastfeeding’s (BBB) FREE newsletter here. 

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Free Lactation & Drug Safety Resource List

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Free Lactation & Drug Safety Resource List

Author’s Note:  This post used to be a static page. I turned it into a blog post to make it more accessible and easier to search. Providing lactation support can be difficult and trying at times – particularly when it comes to medications/herbs and lactation safety and compatibility. There are several great lactation/drug compatibility resources and databases out there but many don’t know where to search or how to access. Compiling all of the evidenced-based resources into one space, so it can be more accessible by not just lactation consultants and those aspiring to be, but also parents and health professionals was the ultimate reason behind the creation of this post.

Do your clients ever call you wondering if a particular medication is compatible with breastfeeding? Many times nursing mothers are told to “pump and dump” or wean by their physicians when in fact, it’s unnecessary. Other times, it’s assumed if a medication is over-the-counter or an herb, it’s completely safe. This is not always the case.

Check below for the most widely used evidence-based resources in order to evaluate drug risk and safety during lactation. This list is arranged by alphabetical order and is by no means exhaustive, so if you’ve found another database or resource helpful, let me know so I can add it.

Questions for lactation professionals and nursing mothers to consider when evaluating risk levels of drugs, herbs, chemicals, etc. during lactation:

1) Will the drug, etc. affect my baby?
2) Will the drug, etc. affect lactation?
3) What are the risks of weaning?
4) What are the options?

For tips on how to counsel your breastfeeding clients on medications, galactagogues and herbs, see these tips by Dr. Frank J. Nice, RPh, DPA, CPHP.

Electronic Databases 

Breastfeeding Network –  Provides FREE Fact Sheets on a wide array of drugs, medical procedures and health conditions and compatibility with breastfeeding available here. These are great to share with your clients (and to encourage them to print them out and discuss safety concerns or potential alternatives with their health care provider). Also provides a detailed description of an ‘Introduction to the Safety of Drugs Passing Through Breastmilk’ here. For common FAQs concerning breastfeeding and generic medications, see here. Also contains general ‘Information on Breastfeeding’here, ‘Thinking about Breastfeeding’ here, ‘Breastfeeding and Perinatal Mental Health’ here and common ‘Questions about your Baby’here.

TIP: when using drug search databases: Since drug names can differ by country and even more so if it’s a generic vs. name brand drug, if the drug you are searching does not show up in the database search engine, then google that particular drug for the active ingredient and search by that instead.

e-lactancia – Compiled by pediatricians affiliated with APILAM. Uses risk levels 0 (no risk) -3 (very high risk). Covers “medical prescriptions, phytotherapy (plants), homeopathy and other alternative products, cosmetic and medical procedures, contaminants, maternal and infant diseases and more.” For common FAQs concerning lactation and medications, see here. Very easy to use and understand. A great resource to share with families so they can look up their own medications. Available in English and Spanish.

Infant Risk Center – Researched and compiled by Dr. Thomas Hale, PhD and author of the renowned and widely used medical lactation risk and reference guide, ‘Hale’s Medications and Mothers’ Milk.’ This reference guide is updated every 2 years, with the most recent edition published in 2017 and a new edition coming out in 2019). This resource uses lactation risk categories 1 (safest) – 5 (contraindicated). It covers prescription medications, chemicals, herbals, vitamins and radioisotopes/radiocontrast agents. This reference guide is also affiliated with the Infant Risk Center at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. A detailed description of ‘Drug Entry Into Human Milk’ is available here. If you have a question regarding a particular drug, you can call a free helpline at (806) 352 – 2519.

Medications & Mother’s Milk is an electronic database also established by Dr. Hale. Annual subscriptions are available at varied prices for individuals and groups/institutions. Mobile apps are also available for both androids and iOS – one is for healthcare professionals ($9.99) and the other is a simplified version for parents ($3.99). You can view options here.

LactMed – Sponsored by the National Institute for Health (NIH)’s US National Library of Medicine TOXNET Toxicology Data Network. It provides peer-reviewed, fully referenced, evidence-based resources. Users can look up lactation risk of both drugs and chemicals. This site is highly medicalized and may be too versed in “medical speak” for the average consumer to fully understand. LactMed also offers a mobile free app for both android and iOS.

MotherRisk – Sponsored by The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It provides evidence-based information about the compatibility of prescription and over-the-counter medications, herbal products, chemicals, radiation, chronic diseases, infections, occupational, environmental, and other exposures during pregnancy and lactation. Also covers general FAQs about medications and lactation. Various brochures are available here. Offers a FREE MotherRisk Hotline: 1-877-439-2744, which is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 12pm and 1 to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Additional Drug Safety & Lactation Resources

Breastfeeding &  Human Lactation Study Center (which is a part of the Division of Neonatology at University of Rochester Medical Center’s Golisano Children’s Hospital) under the direction of Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D. Healthcare professionals can call (585) 275-0088 at no cost for information on drug risk and compatibility and to consult on difficult breastfeeding issues. Note: This hotline is for healthcare professionals ONLY, not for parents or your breastfeeding clients. For more information, see here. See here for a breastfeeding site geared specifically toward your breastfeeding clients and families.

Cindy Curtis, RNC, IBCLC, CCE, CD of Breastfeeding Online has compiled a comprehensive and beautifully organized list of lactation risk and compatibility with direct links to articles on breastfeeding and alcohol, herbals, epidurals, antidepressants, social drugs, cigarettes, prescription and non-prescription drugs and more. This is an accessible and quite handy resource to share with your breastfeeding clients or lactation specialists-in-training.

Frank J. Nice, RPH, DPA, CPHP of Nice Breastfeeding has written several books on medications and compatibility with breastfeeding: ‘Nonprescription Drugs for the Breastfeeding Mother’ (2017) here. ‘Recreational Drugs and Drugs Used to Treat Addicted Mothers: Impact on Pregnancy and Breastfeeding’ (2016) available here. ‘The Galactagogue Recipe Book’ (2017) which discusses dosage, uses, and cautions of galactogogues here. There are free downloadable pdfs on a wide array of lactation and drug risk categories including herbs and galactagogues, recreational drug use and Domperidone are available here. Free patient resources with helpful links are available here. You can find information for healthcare providers on how to counsel breastfeeding mothers who have drug-related questions here.

International Breastfeeding Centre established by Dr. Jack Newman, MD, IBCLC provides a general overview of maternal medications and breastfeeding in a Q&A blog post format, addressing general FAQs, whether or not to continue breastfeeding, how drugs get into breast milk and lactation compatibility with specific medications here. If you have a question about a particular drug’s compatibility with breastfeeding (or you’re dealing with a difficult breastfeeding case in general and would like some guidance and feedback), Dr. Newman answers emails from Lactation Specialists at no charge here. Information sheets on a wide array of lactation topics are available here, many of which are translated into different languages here.

Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC of Kellymom has compiled lists of lactation risk databases in English and other languages, common FAQs on specific drugs, treatments and medical procedures, lactation risk resources and a detailed list of reference links here.This is an accessible, easy to understand resource to share with your breastfeeding clients.

La Leche League International (LLLI) has also published some articles and FAQ fact sheets on medications and breastfeeding. It also has a comprehensive resource of hyperlinked articles addressing breastfeeding with maternal illness, conditions, diseases and  if medications/treatments are compatible. LLLI’s site, including it’s articles (typically written  for mothers and parents by mothers (who are also breastfeeding counselors), are fantastic reat resources to share with nursing mothers and families as they are easily accessible, usually short and sweet, and written for an audience without a medical background. Just click on the title(s) below:

Wendy Jones, BSc, MSc, PhD, MRPharmS of Breastfeeding and Medication.This comprehensive site includes free downloadable Fact Sheets, evidence-based useful links on medication and breastfeeding, E-Learning Packages/Training Packs, aimed at GPs (latest cost was £40.00), which can be purchased here. She has also authored the books, “Breastfeeding and Medication.” (2018) and “Why Mothers’ Medication Matters” (2017).

Herbs & Breastfeeding

Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC of kellymom.com has created a simple, accessible resource list of specific herbals and natural treatment and compatibility with lactation here. For information on marijuana and breastfeeding, see here. These are both fantastic, easy to read and understand resources to share with your breastfeeding clients.

Sheila Humphrey, BSc, RN, IBCLC has written the ‘The Nursing Mother’s Herbal’ (2003) available here, which discusses the effects of a wide array of herbs, dietary supplements and natural remedies on lactation and lactation-related maladies such as mastitis, plugged ducts, thrush and more. Her book is organized into Herb Safety Categories A (no contraindications) – E (Avoid. Toxic plant with no justifiable medical use). See here for a more thorough description of the Herb Safety Categories and see here for a review of her book from LLLI.

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you have a evidence-based resource on drug safety and lactation that you recommend and it’s not included in the list, then please, send me a message with a description and relevant info so that I can include it. Thanks a bunch, xx

Freebie Friday: FREE Podcast on “Marijuana & Breastfeeding”

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Yup, it’s the end of the week already. That means it’s time for FREEBIE FRIDAY! This week’s freebie is a FREE Podcast on “Marijuana and Breastfeeding”
by Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC and Karen Bodnar MD, IBCLC.

From the Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding & Lactation Education (IABLE) website:

“Join us to learn about the 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics statement on marijuana during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Dr. Bodnar summarizes the major points in the AAP’s 2018 statement on marijuana during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Learn the latest recommendations on how to counsel families regarding perinatal marijuana use!”

It was originally recorded in September 2018, but don’t worry, it’s still available as a podcast for free. Just click here to listen to it.

Quick tip: When you click on the link to view the Podcast, check out the “Programs” header on the left side of the site. You’ll find lots more FREE lactation resources including Podcasts, Videos, Breastfeeding Handouts, Breastfeeding Education for Healthcare Providers, Clinical
Questions for the Week, Conferences and more.

Happy listening (and learning). Oh, Happy Friday too!

Do you have an idea for FREEBIE FRIDAY? Don’t be shy! Share it with Galactablog – you will be given full credit. If you’re a company, private practice, NGO, etc. and have a FREE opportunity or item to offer to Galactablog readers, let us know. As long as you are WHO Code Compliant, you’ll be given full consideration. You can contact us here or email: galactablog@gmail.com. 

Freebie Friday: Free 0.25 L- CERP from Medscape – Earn in 30 minutes or less! + More Freebies!

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Are you a new IBCLC who is trying to earn CERPS? Or maybe you’re a seasoned IBCLC who needs to recertify soon (or eventually). Or perhaps you’re an aspiring IBCLC who is piecemealing free/low-cost CERPs together to obtain the 90 hours of lactation education required to sit for the IBCLC exam. Maybe, you just love reading and learning new things! Whatever your case, this week’s freebie is definitely relevant to you (make sure to continue scrolling down, because there’s more freebies at the bottom of this post).

You may be asking yourself, “Well, what do I have to do to obtain this FREE 0.25 CERP)?” It’s quite easy actually and takes 30 minutes or less. All you do is read this article, How Does Marijuana Use Affect Lactating Mothers? by Diana Phillips & Charles P. Vega, MD and answer some questions. You must answer 75% of the questions correctly to obtain the CERP. That’s it! You get a free 0.25 L-CERP + some new knowledge.

Make sure to check out Medscape’s Multispecialty Activities: CME & Education site – There is a wide array of multispecialty FREE accredited activities you can do to earn FREE CERPs, continuing education credits and even to fulfill licensure requirements. This is not only relevant to IBCLCs but for other types of health professionals as well. Registration is FREE and you can sign up here for daily or weekly email updates if you choose.

On a personal note, I can’t take credit for this freebie myself – the credit goes to Debra Swank, RN BSN IBCLC who shared this fantastic find in a private lactation group. Thanks Debra, we appreciate you keeping us in the loop!

Do you have an idea for FREEBIE FRIDAY? Don’t be shy! Share it with Galactablog – you will be given full credit. If you’re a company, private practice, NGO, etc. and have a FREE opportunity or item to offer to Galactablog readers, let us know. As long as you are WHO Code Compliant, you’ll be given full consideration. You can contact us here or email: galactablog@gmail.com. 

Freebie Friday: “Lactation Business Coaching with Annie & Leah: Launching your Lactation Business” (Free Podcast)

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Annie Frisbie, IBCLC, creator of  Paperless Private Practice and author of IBCLC Private Practice Essential Toolkit and Leah Jolly, BA, IBCLC, RLC  with Bay Area Breastfeeding are offering their Lactation Business Coaching podcast for free. Yup you read that right, it’s FREE! 

Click here to listen to Episode 1. If you prefer to go through iTunes directly, you can find the podcast here. Annie and Leah are a have a great rapport. They are a joy to listen to. I think they need their own reality show! I can’t wait for Episode 2.

Annie and Leah welcome your questions, comments and even ideas for future podcast topics here (or you can leave a comment on their show page). Reviews on iTunes are also welcome. You can find them on Facebook too!

Do you have an idea for FREEBIE FRIDAY? Don’t be shy! Share it with Galactablog – you will be given full credit. If you’re a company, private practice, NGO, etc. and have a FREE opportunity or item to offer to Galactablog readers, let us know. As long as you are WHO Code Compliant, you’ll be given full consideration. You can contact us here or email: galactablog@gmail.com. 

Guest Post: “Supporting Women Through Relactation” by Lucy Ruddle, IBCLC

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Supporting Women Through Relactation

by Lucy Ruddle, IBCLC

Lucy Ruddle, IBCLC

Editor’s Introduction: Lucy Ruddle is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who resides in the United Kingdom (UK). She’s a mother who has successfully relactated herself and runs a UK-based relactation Facebook group. She specializes in relactation and breastfeeding grief (which we all know often go hand-in-hand). If you’d like to learn more about Lucy, you can find her on Facebook here. She also has a fantastic blog where she’s published a wide array of lactation-related posts and resources.

Author’s note on language: Throughout this article, I refer to “Breastfeeding” however, I am aware that not everyone who lactates identifies with this specific term. The term “Chestfeeding” may be preferred – please do use whichever language you feel most comfortable with. I have used a broad range of terms such as Mother, Mum, she, they, person, parent etc. throughout this article. It is my aim to embody the diversity of language individuals relate to in the field of lactation.

It’s a bit of a mythical beast, relactation. It’s talked about across the parenting forums and Facebook groups around the world. It seems that barely an “I’ve stopped breastfeeding and I feel awful” post goes by without someone saying, “You know you can relactate, right?” And yet even in the field of lactation, practitioners aren’t always sure how to support parents asking them if it’s really possible to bring their milk back.

Let me start by saying a clear “YES”, relactation absolutely is possible. If humans can induce lactation, then, of course, they can produce milk after doing so once before. There are anecdotal reports of Grandmothers relactating to feed their grandchildren, and many of us are aware of the outstanding work currently happening to support refuges to rebuild milk supply so they can safely feed their babies.

However, what I often hear is women being told to “Just put baby to the breast.” Which seems very logical to be fair, so this may come as a surprise… “Just put baby to the breast” rarely works. I run a relactation group on Facebook and have relactated myself. Over the last 5 years, I have lost count of how many women I have supported through this process. I have also lost count of how many babies simply will not latch to an empty breast. These babies have been taking a bottle for at least a couple of weeks, and usually, they were exposed to one before mum stopped breastfeeding altogether. They are used to a silicone teat dripping or pouring a steady flow of milk straight down their throats. They rarely have the patience to play around with a breast which isn’t giving up the goods.

Of course, we should encourage mum to find out if baby will latch. Let’s be honest, a willing baby makes rebuilding milk supply a lot easier. BUT if baby won’t attach, and the adult keeps pushing the matter, then we are on a fast track to breast aversion. Let’s take this thing, breastfeeding, which is supposed to be connecting and lovely, and turn it into a battlefield, shall we? No. If baby doesn’t want to latch, then we drop the rope, as it were.

Lucy demonstrating her suggestion of bottle feeding near the breast.

Instead, parents can work on building in skin-to-skin contact. This may be through co-bathing, babywearing, baby massage etc. A lovely and easy way to get in regular and prolonged skin to skin is while feeding with the bottle. Mum can hold the bottle close to her breast and snuggle baby in close. This starts to rebuild the association that milk and breasts are related, and helps the parent to feel close and bonded to baby. When parents are feeling relaxed and close to their babies relactation tends to go a lot better. In fact, this is really important.

Here’s what tends to happen when someone wants to relactate: They are overwhelmed with guilt, shame, anger, confusion and grief for their experience of breastfeeding. The need to erase those feelings is so strong that they throw themselves into pumping, taking herbs, and demanding their GP prescribes Domperidone. And then, when things don’t happen quickly – they burn out and stop. They tell themselves they really can’t breastfeed, they have failed not once, but twice. That is potentially deeply damaging and we need to support families to avoid this happening.

When we instead focus on what parents actually miss about breastfeeding, we often learn that it boils down to the closeness.

We can recreate this with skin-to-skin contact and we can help Mum to learn that she is good and wise, and tuned into her Babe’s needs even without breastmilk. Once her healing here begins, the pumping won’t feel so desperate. She won’t be in such a hurry, won’t need quick results. She can think more clearly, be open to the idea that this might take many weeks, and that perhaps she will only be able to partially breastfeed until solids are introduced.

Once the hurt and grief are subsiding we can also begin to talk with the family about how breastfeeding is only a tiny bit about nutrition, and perhaps the breast/chest can become a lovely safe, relaxing space for reassurance, sleep and pain relief. Skin-to-skin – it’s my number one recommendation for relactation.

While Mum is rediscovering close, physical connection with her baby she can begin to rebuild her supply. A good breast pump isn’t essential, but if it’s an option then it will most likely make the process quicker. Mum needs to be pumping as close to 8x a day as she can manage, never going longer than 6 hours between pumping sessions. 15-20 minutes each breast is about right in the early days, finishing up with 5 minutes of hand expression. Generally, drops are seen quite quickly – days rather than weeks. The key here is consistency though. The breasts must be stimulated often to keep prolactin high and to keep the growing milk supply flowing so the breasts replace what’s been removed plus a bit more.

I firmly believe that our role as breastfeeding practitioners here isn’t to pressure the parent into expressing a certain number of times each day but to support them to find ways to pump as often as they feel able.

We can talk about putting baby in a bouncy chair which can be rocked with a foot while pumping, we can suggest roping in friends and family to hold baby, bring meals, run through a load of laundry, look after older siblings. We can encourage pumping to be seen as a chance for the parent to put their feet up with a favourite TV show or audio book. The list of creative ways to help pumping feel sustainable and less of a chore is endless.

Telling someone to pump every 2 – 3 hours for potentially several weeks, and then not helping that person find ways to achieve that goal is, in my opinion, unkind and only carrying out half a job.

The transition from bottle to breast needs to be carefully managed. As supply increases, the breast should be offered at regular intervals (no more than once every few days until baby is willing to latch, and once baby is happy at the breast, it can be offered before and after bottle feeds, or any time that just feels good) and pump afterward. Paced bottle feeding may give baby opportunity to show satiety cues and avoid overfeeding as they take more from the breast, but evidence to support this is woefully lacking. Frequent weight checks with a breastfeeding-friendly provider are very important and responding to any drop in centiles with an increase in supplements and pumping will protect Mother and baby as they work through this tricky part of their journey.

This is the point parents often begin to worry they can’t make enough milk, so they need a lot of emotional support as well as education around normal feeding behaviour and signs that baby is getting enough to help them transition to full breastfeeding and maintain it long term.

Gentle, empathic, positive care, focusing on how incredible mum is, how well her baby is growing, how dedicated she is, how connected to her baby she is etc., will all help bolster confidence in herself, her baby, and her body.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of counseling and listening skills when dealing with a family wanting to relactate. These parents are often hurting intensely and are vulnerable to PND and low self-esteem. Relactation can be a powerful way to empower a family, and the correct support can genuinely facilitate that and change lives.

Are you a lactation specialist or one who is aspiring-to-be who has a special interest in a lactation-related topic? Perhaps you’d like to share your experience in the lactation field– tips, helpful resources, lessons learned, do’s and don’ts, challenges, etc. Or maybe you just have a lot to say! And that’s ok. Galactablog welcomes guest posts on a wide array of lactation-related topics. Contact us here or at galactablog{at}gmail{dot}com to share your ideas or for more information. 

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

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Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with ‘ Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ Certificate (CBS)

Reviewer: Anonymous

Submitted July 12, 2018
Published November 12, 2018

Year enrolled in Program: 2016-2018

How long did it take you to complete the program? 2 years from start of coursework and clinical hours to taking and passing the IBCLC exam

Certification or Certificate Offered – ‘Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ (CBS) certificate. See here for a detailed course syllabus.

Name of Instructor(s) – Reviewer did not answer. Editor’s Note: See here – pg. 4 for complete list of LER Faculty Members.

Delivery of Program – Combination of In-Person and Online Delivery: Online delivery for 90 hours of lactation education and IBCLC exam prep course and In-Person for the 500 hour Clinical Internship program.

Books & Materials Required – Reviewer did not answer. Editor’s Note: LER recommends these books for its courses.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $2,000+ (this includes the 90 hours of lactation education + 500 clinical hours through LER’s Internship program + the exam review prep course).

See here for listings and cost of various lactation training programs offered by LER. See here for detailed description and costs of LER’s Clinical Hours Internship program. See here for detailed description and costs of exam review prep classes.

# of L-CERPs, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs, CPEs, etc. offered – 90 L-CERPs, 90 Nursing Contact Hours and 90 CPE Level II.

Editor’s Note: If you don’t need all 90 hours, LER also has an option that offers 45 L-CERP’s, 45 Nursing Contact Hours and 45 CPE’s. See here for more details and pricing.

Do this program’s hours meet partial or full requirements for the IBCLC exam’s lactation specific training requirement?

Yes, it meets the full 90 hour IBCLC lactation education requirement and I also received 500 clinical hours needed to qualify the clinical hour component required for the IBCLE exam as well.

What did you like about the program?

  • Able to complete coursework at your own pace and whenever it works for you.
  • You can print out all of the power points and there are tons of resources available.
  • The Internship program was so thorough and detailed, absolutely invaluable. It was easy to reach someone for help whenever needed.
  • The Facebook group is very helpful.
  • The exam review course is also thorough. I passed the exam first time -even now after already passing my exam, I am watching LER’s live webinars and still learning new information.

What did you dislike about the program?  I can’t think of anything! Maybe the cost, but it was worth it and my employer covered some of the costs.

What would you change about the program? Just in the 2 years I’ve been a part of this program, they have introduced several new ways to learn. There is always something new. I wouldn’t change anything.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program? I completed the program from start to finish (start meaning the 90 hour course work and finish to receiving my exam results) in 2 years while working full time, being pregnant and having a newborn. It was hard and time-consuming but I’m glad I pushed through.

Would you recommend this program to others?  Highly. To me, it is the gold standard. In the professional world, everyone knows LER. You will be prepared for the exam and also clinical practice at the end.

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again? 100%

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?  100%! I couldn’t have done it without LER.

Any additional comments? I just want to thank LER and all of the instructors. My experience is the foundation for my practice and I wouldn’t be where I am now as an IBCLC without the program.

Does this particular program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? The ‘Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ credential obtained from LER is valid for 5 years.

For the IBCLC credential, we have to recertify every 5 years (via CERPs or retaking the IBCLC exam) and every 10 years (via retaking the exam).

Would you like to write a review of a Lactation Training Program that you’ve taken? If so, don’t be shy! You can access the review form directly from Galactablog. Or online via Google Forms here.

See here for more information on LER’s lactation training programs, along with a comparison of similar lactation training programs.

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the reviewer and do not reflect those of Galactablog. In order to remain objective and unbiased, Galactablog does not endorse or associate with any particular Lactation Training program. It is the reader’s responsibility to confirm program details (cost, dates, # of hours offered, program requirements, etc.) with the program itself.

It’s also important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program. See here for more program details in addition to a comparison of similar Lactation Training Programs. If you’re interested in Lactation Training Programs that offer a clinical practice component, see here.

Freebie Friday: 6 FREE presentations from iLactation

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iLactation is generously offering FREE access to 6 different presentations which cover a wide array of lactation topics. You can view the list of FREE presentations offered here. There’s a terrific line up of speakers and fascinating topics, so don’t miss out on this FREE opportunity.

***Disclaimer: CERPs are NOT offered for the free presentations, but you WILL gain free knowledge and resources, which is priceless. Certificates of attendance ARE offered for each presentation and these are FREE. You can use the certificate of attendance to claim for the minutes/hours you’ve spent on the individual CERPs. See here for how to do this and scroll down to ‘May I use continuing education that has not been awarded CERPs?’ for specific details.

If you are in need of CERPs or just interested in hearing more lactation-related presentations, check out iLactation’s 13th annual online breastfeeding conference. This year, iLactation’s online breastfeeding conference: “Inform • Improve • Impact,” is offering 18+ CERPs. You can view the ‘Rock Stars of Lactation’™ line-up here.  But hurry up, it’s only online until November 30,2018.

Inform • Improve • Impact
Online breastfeeding conference
Online until Nov 30, 2018

 

Do you have an idea for FREEBIE FRIDAY? Don’t be shy! Share it with Galactablog – you will be given full credit. If you’re a company, private practice, NGO, etc. and have a FREE opportunity or item to offer to Galactablog readers, let us know. As long as you are WHO Code Compliant, you’ll be given full consideration. You can contact us here or email: galactablog@gmail.com. 

Lactation Program Review: Healthy Children’s Lactation Counselor Training Course & CLC Certification

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Lactation Program Review: 

Healthy Children’s Center for Breastfeeding’s  

Lactation Counselor Training Course

By Anonymous, CLC, ALC &IBCLC

Submitted December 25, 2017
Published on November 4, 2018

How long did it take you to complete the program? 5 days

Certification or Certificate Offered – Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC)

Delivery of Program – In-person

Books & Materials Required – The Pocket Guide for Lactation Management by Karin Cadwell, 2nd edition (can be purchased on Amazon from about $25-$35 or purchased at class for $55). A course guide with an outline of all instruction along with a resource appendix is free and included in course costs.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $600-800

# of L-CERPs, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs, CPEs, etc. offered – 45 Nursing contact hours, L-CERPs, CPEs; 4.5 CEUs for CNMs

Do this program’s hours meet partial or full requirements for the IBCLC exam’s lactation specific training requirement?  Yes, partial hours (it meets 45 of the required 90 hours of lactation education).

What did you like about the program?

  • Gave a good basic knowledge to answer questions of the pregnant or nursing mother.
  • Gives the CLC a good starting range of information on many aspects of lactation.
  • Allows an RN or other medical professionals to add to their current knowledge base and support breastfeeding.

What did you dislike about the program?

  • This is a basic knowledge course, it does not actually teach enough to start a practice to assist a mother who is struggling or has a special need. This is enough information to hold a support group or discuss basic questions about lactation.
  • The CLC scope of practice is very muddled and unclear. The instructors will not discuss comparison to IBCLC and make it clear that they feel their teaching is equivalent and encourage private practice. See here for Healthy Children’s comparison paper between CLCs and IBCLCs.

What would you change about the program?

  • Be more understanding and informative that this is a basic knowledge course and does not give the amount of information needed, the scope, or the ability for a CLC to start a practice to help mothers with problems concerning lactation and instead gives the ability to answer basic questions for “normal” cases only.
  • The CLC would be excellent for those looking to answer questions about lactation for pregnant mothers or hosting in support group settings. Advanced, specific, or “abnormal” individualized patient care should be referred to an IBCLC. The scope and ability must be set very clearly and not over exaggerated.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

  • Extremely, the exam is comprehensive and involves a great deal of information that may have only been given a brief allotment of time to be taught.
  • Participants should understand that they should study the information they were taught each day after the course time.

Would you recommend this program to others?

Yes, depending on their intentions in the field and their prior knowledge base.

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again?

I would. This was a great starting point for my path to IBCLC.

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?

  • I do, it gave a good amount of basic knowledge.
  • Overall this was a good stepping stone and would encourage it as such.
  • I do not recommend taking only the CLC if intending to private practice helping mothers with lactation problems.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? Yes, every 3 years. Recertification requires 18 hours of continuing education.

Would you like to write a review of a Lactation Training Program that you’ve taken? If so, don’t be shy! You can access the review form directly from Galactablog. Or directly online via Google Forms here.

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not reflect those of Galactablog. In order to remain objective and unbiased, Galactablog does not endorse or associate with any program in particular. It is the reader’s responsibility to confirm program details (cost, dates, # of hours offered, program requirements, etc.) with the program itself. It’s also important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program. See here for more program details on Healthy Children’s Lactation Counselor Training Course, along with a comparison of similar Lactation Training Programs. If you’re interested in Lactation Training Programs that offer a clinical practice component, see here.

FREEBIE FRIDAY: “Nutritional Support of the VLBW Infant” Free Toolkit

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Do you help support Very Low Birthweight (VLBW) Infants in your lactation work? Or maybe you are just starting out and want to learn more about working with and how to better support premature and VLBW infants. If so, then you’ll enjoy this FREE toolkit. I can’t take credit for this find myself – it was shared in a private lactation group by Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC, FILCA.

The California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative explains what’s included (and what’s new) in the 2018 version:

“The 2018 update of the Nutritional Support of the VLBW Infant Toolkit was developed to provide rapid assessment of current nutritional practices, outline evidence-based best practices, and enable rapid multidisciplinary improvement cycles to improve nutritional outcomes for premature newborns. We have added important new references, streamlined recommendations, and targeted the best resources.”

Aren’t you excited to download it and check it out? If so, click here for your free toolkit. And don’t forget to check out all of the FREE Additional pdfs located on the same site on your lower righthand side.

Do you have an idea for FREEBIE FRIDAY? Don’t be shy! Please do share – I promise to give you full credit. If you’re a company, private practice, NGO, etc. and have a FREE opportunity or item to offer to Galactablog readers, let me know. As long as you are WHO Code Compliant, you’ll be given full consideration. You can contact me here or email me at: galactablog@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.