This is going to be convoluted and i'm sorry for that! :)

I was thinking that part of the issue with women not BF is not succeeding in BF because of lack of social or emotional support as well as lack of physical support--being taught how to do it and encouraged to try different things until it 'works' and then exploring various solutions (such as partial BF, partial FF or EBM) when things don't work as well as might be hoped.

This, then, turns me to the idea about lactation consultants. i assume that these people go through some form of training--does anyone have information on that? i also noticed mention that many women pay for LCs help and expertise--which certainly makes sense if a woman is making a career out of it.

But i was thinking--what if some lactivist moms became "part time" LCs as volunteers? And, if this is possible or a 'good idea'--how do i get started?

I do a lot of volunteer work in my career. I teach yoga, and so i do teach a lot of free or low-cost classes. For example, i teach a 'low cost' yoga class through Big Bro/Big Sis because a number of my clients are part of this organization and wanted to share yoga with their "Littles." they're supposed to take them to free outtings and ask parents, guardians for money to do things, but most find this difficult--so i volunteer a few classes to teach the kids. it's a lot of fun.

i'm also really into fertility awareness method charting. not only am i 'into' it for birth control and fertility help reasons, but i find that charting gives such insight into overall health and wellbeing, sexuality and my own feelings about sex and sexuality. I want everyone to know about it because it's so empowering. I don't have any 'formal' training, but i'm doing 'informal' training with a local NFP teacher who is rather liberal. And through this, i've been volunteering to teach FAM at Planned Parenthood, a local midwives group, and a shelter for young pregnant women and young women with new children so that they can plan for pregnancies and monitor their health. I do this for free because i love it so much.

I haven't BF--in fact i don't have any children yet. But i was thinking that this would be another great opportunity to give of myself to others that supports the social and political change that i desire for my community. What do you all think?

I am in Canada- so I don't know US rules-- but LC's go through MAJOR courses. I was told that the time and money put into would be the same as a University degree. It takes years and lots of money to complete. I don't think there would be a 'volunteer' LC position- unless you were currently a LC student. There would definately be some liability issues at hand as well.
That said- there are lots of other ways to help Mom's- there is LLL, lots of BF Coalitions around.
Also- and please don't take offense- but I probably wouldn't be likely to take advice from someone who has never breastfed themselves. I know that the BF Coalition I am on has min requirements. I think that unless you have 'been there and done that' it would be hard to help others.
I would say- get some info on local BF coaltions and LLL meetings and hand that out to the prego Mom's you are helping. You would still be helping- even if it is not directly.

no, no offense taken.

i recognize that these things are processes. so, i simply assume that i would go through that process 9educational) and then when i have my children (planning to TTC in 2008), i can go into it then.

i've considered LLL and related--i already go to local LLL meetings. i've cnosidered becoming a leader for that as well.

My suggestion would be to become a LLL leader instead. The process to become an LC is quite extensive. This link tells you how to become one: http://www.iblce.org/become.htm . IMO that's what the LLL leaders are for, they are there on a voluntary basis and many times know enough information to assist women who are having difficulties.

From what I have heard it is easier to be a LLL leader than an LC.
You may also want to consider Lactation Education-- I know in Canada this is a weekend course and then there are papers and require readings to do.
In Canada- there is really nothing that prevents anyone from giving out BF'ing advice. That said there are people out there would are giving bad advice out-- and that is certainly NOT helping the problem.
For me the LE certification would give me more credibility- but it is not a requirement.

Ok, this is going to be on the long side, and rambly too, because my coffee has not yet kicked in. :wink

First off, kudos to you! Volunteer breastfeeding counselors are so vitally important for helping mamas, and I totally cheer you on for wanting to do something like this!!!

IBCLCs are like the top tier of breastfeeding support... they deal with the big issues. I myself am a certified lactation counselor, so I'm sort of in the middle of the pyramid - I have more extensive training, but am in no way as qualified as an IBCLC. It can get a little confusing, like trying to figure out what the difference is between an LPN and an RN and a NP, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, IBCLCs go through a heck of a lot of training (http://www.iblce.org/become.htm). I know many of them who do work on a volunteer basis as LLLLs and Nursing Mothers' Counselors, above and beyond their private/office practices. IBCLCs rock.

Lay counselors/volunteers counselors/peer counselors are like the first line of defense, and they are awesome. Totally look into becoming one! There are a lot of programs out there... a quick internet search reveals the Nursing Mothers Network (http://www.nursingmothersnetwork.org/), the Breastfeeeding Resource Center (http://www.breastfeedingresourcecenter.org/), and the Nursing Mothers Advisory Council (http://www.nursingmoms.net/) in Pennsylvania. Call the organizations and ask them about training - they'll be able to tell you if they offer it, or who in your area does.

:thumb

From what I have heard it is easier to be a LLL leader than an LC. where I am there is 1 (maybe) LC in the area-- and that is directly due to the time and money it takes to become one.
You may also want to consider Lactation Education-- I know in Canada this is a weekend course and then there are papers and require readings to do.
In Canada- there is really nothing that prevents anyone from giving out BF'ing advice. That said there are people out there would are giving bad advice out-- and that is certainly NOT helping the problem.
For me the LE certification would give me more credibility- but it is not a requirement.

I am a Volunteer LC... actually I am a peer-to-peer breastfeeding councelor...

I have training under the Unicefs "baby friendly" initiative, so the same training as some of the nurses and doctors...(many of the docs and nurses have no training whatsoever when it comes to breastfeeding)...

In my areal there is are no LC's so we do the same thing as them but it is all volunteer work... (We also give pre-natals etc)

I am slowly working on becoming a LC but it is really hard to get the "practice" hours when you are not working for pay in a breastfeeding setting...

thanks for the links. :)

actually, those requirements to become an IBCLC aren't too tough. 45 hrs of classroom education, sit for the exam, and then 2,500 hrs (since i have a grad degree) of consulting.

in my current career, i have to do 45 hrs of continuing education each year anyway--just to maintain my registration and certification status as a yoga teacher. i'm working toward recieving the registration for the yoga therapist level.

this is actually pretty basic if you have a degree--and i do have those credit hours already due to my undergrad and grad work. that's kinda intersting. So, it wouldn't be "that" difficult to do that path.

but i'll have to consider it--depending upon the costs and the benefit if other processes are 'just as good' or 'more closely akin to what i want and need.'

thanks!

I have heard it is really hard to get the 2500 hours in-- that is what takes so long.
On the up side- you can charge for your services once licensed. I guess it really depends on the needs in your community.

Oh man! I was just coming here to post and ask what do you do to become an LC.
This looks pretty hard and confusing, from what I've read in the links so far.

Are there any LCs currently posting here that could maybe talk about what they did to become certified?

i didn't find the first link confusing. you start by determining your level of education. And then, the type of education that you have. And if you have those basic requirements, you then take a 45 hours of classes and do home work in preparation for the exam. Once you pass the exam, you do the X,000hours of consultations to get your certification.

when i went for my yoga training, it only took a couple of years to get the teaching hour requirements to meet a certain registry level. that's not that big of a deal to me, really. i'm not in a hurry.

but again, i don't know if it'd want to do this. And, i don't know if i'd want to get paid to do it.

i also don't know if i need an outside authority to certify me if i'm going to offer myself as a volunteer, you know?

i tell a lot of my clients who want to volunteer teach yoga that they should just focus on getting their CPR certification, and that's it. You can teach yoga from your own practice and from the heart. at the volunteer level, it doesn't matter if you have training. When you start getting paid, then it matters.

How wonderful you are teaching FAM! I am looking to do the same thing in my commmunity- as an extension of my doula practice. I have this bookmarked because I'm thinking of doing it: http://www.gardenoffertility.com/teaching.shtml
I plan on offering it for free as well. Of course, I'm taking out liability insurance to go along with being a PP doula, but I don't think it would hurt to do that when offering FAM education. Just a thought.

Anyway. I agree that LLL is probably your best bet if you are looking to go down that path. :) There is also a CLC (certified lactation counseler) program out there at http://www.healthychildren.cc

Shell:

I'm also following Singer's advice about becoming a teacher. she doesn't offer training yet, but i read the books on her list and the local NFP teacher is really awesome about providing resources for me to continue learning as well. It's also great to sit in on classes so that you learn how to teach this stuff, you know? that's a skillin and of itself. :)

Ok, zoebird.

In MY opinion, the info in the link was confusing. My level of education is zero, the type is high school. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea where to take those 45 hours of classes even if I did have the basic requirements, which I'm still not sure exactly what those are or how it works because there were several different choices. Or how or where to do the X,0000 hours of counseling to become certified.

So to me, a simple uneducated mama who will have to get a job in the next few years and would like to explore a career path that I am passionate about, the links were confusing and the process was intimidating.

I am an RN and thinking about becoming a IBCLC someday. Even with the education, I have heard the exam is very difficult and the hours are hard to get in. But obviously people do it! This would be my career, a way to serve a purpose I feel passionately about and make a living too.

If you're interested in volunteering for the bf'ing cause, IMO becoming an LC would be overkill. It would be like getting a master's degree in education JUST to tutor kids after school for free. This probably isn't a perfect analogy, but it's the best I can think of at 7 am. I guess what I am saying is it would be unnecessary to take that path when there are other organizations (LLL and others people have mentioned) which operate on a volunteer basis already and are designed to be peer counseling based, which it sounds like you want to do.

I think a pp's suggestion of encouraging bf'ing and giving out information to the pregnant community that you already serve is an excellent idea!! What better time to present your knowledge to them and help point them in the right direction. I am sure bf'ing would probably work into your discussion of FAM because of it's affects on fertility, namely suppression of ovulation for exclusively bf'ing mothers (yes not in every case, but in general).

You don't have to have bf a child to give advice (heck, postpartum nurses do it everyday and not all of them have children) but it definitely helps, and it IS a requirement to have bf at least one child to become a LLL leader. I would focus on more community based outreach organizations, rather than the IBCLC path.

2500 hours is a LOT of time. I was in AmeriCorps for two years and doing that more than fulltime amounted to 1700 hours in 10+ months (early September to mid-July). You get credit for 500 for each year you're a LLL leader. HOWEVER, to become a LLL leader in itself requires a minimum experience of actually breastfeeding....I think 9 months.

From the way I understood the info in the link (and I've looked at this several times before today), the exam was the last piece of the puzzle. You're only allowed to even take the exam once you've completed the coursework and put in the hours. Also, the type of graduate degree is important. I have a graduate degree myself, but it's in math education, so it doesn't count for diddly squat.

I think it's really really awesome that you want to put your lactivist ideals into action, but I really do feel as a breastfeeding mom who had some trouble in the beginning that it's much more helpful to get the info from moms who've been in the trenches. If this is something you're serious about, perhaps begin the coursework now, join LLL, maybe get some training as a postpartum doula where your services could let a new mom focus more on getting breastfeeding to work.

I just wanted to suggest the Healthy Children program. I think for where you are currently at it may be perfect for you. It's a 40 hour program all about breastfeeding. It covers the basics and some not so basics. They spend one whole day on counselling. It's also reasonably priced and it's not a huge commitment. You would be certified so you'd have some credentials but it wouldn't be like "getting your Masters degree in education to tutor kids afterschool". They also do continuing education credits.

You might also check at your local hospital. Ours is always looking for qualified CLCs to volunteer and sometimes hires people to do pump rentals and counselling. And all of those hours count towards your IBCLC.

Good luck finding your path!