Growing up, my mother told a story about how my grandmother encouraged her to breastfeed me, her first child. As I suckled, my mother winced in pain.(Obviously, my latch was off.) And my grandmother, a fiery Jamaican woman who’d nursed six children of her own, leaned her 4-foot-11 frame over my mother’s shoulder and hollered, "Feed that baby!"
That was the extent of the lactation support she received back in the day. Miraculously, my mother nursed me and my sister for six months before she ended that part of her mothering. Thankfully, there are more resources today for parents who choose to breastfeed. Women speak more openly about their experiences these days, and there are baby-friendly hospitals that explain the numerous benefits of breastfeeding, as well as lactation consultants who provide one-on-one support to help you along the way.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, or IBCLCs, are the highest accredited professionals specializing in lactation. They train for two to five years and complete 90 hours of lactation education and 1,000 clinical hours to earn their certification. They must also pass a board exam. Once certified, an IBCLC must rectify every five years. IBCLCs work in numerous environments, including hospitals and private practices, to provide specialized and individualized care to mothers.
We spoke to UK based IBCLC and craniosacral therapist J’Nel Metherell about her work and how it supports parents in making this part of their parenting journey a bit easier.
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IBCLCs dispel myths about breastfeeding.
My mom breastfed two children for a combined total of a year. Still, she passed down quite a bit of misinformation about breastfeeding. From her own tales, I thought breast milk had to be a certain thickness and consistency to be “the best.” I thought a menstrual cycle would not return as long as you breastfed, no matter how long that time is. From my mom’s own description, I was sure that it would hurt.
J’Nel says that last one is a common misconception she encounters. “Pain can be expected sometimes in the beginning when you're learning to get to grips with latching,” she explains. “But it's not OK to grin and bear it without getting help. It is a sign that things need a little fix to try and get a pain-free feed.”
They can educate the entire village.
In our conversation with another IBCLC, Erika Dudley shared that when she works with a client, she makes a conscious effort to work with as many family members as possible. The misinformation around breastfeeding, as evidenced by my own family, can be shared from generation to generation.
An IBCLC will educate the mom and spread that knowledge to the rest of the family so everyone is on the same page with feeding goals. With all of this newfound information, it’s likely that the next woman who decides to breastfeed in your family won’t be met with so much resistance.
They troubleshoot complex lactation issues.
Getting a newborn to latch for the first time can be a stressful ordeal for a first-time mother. What is more nerve-wracking and anxiety-producing than believing the child entrusted to you is going hungry on your watch? A lactation consultant can help to ease some of that worry. Newborns don’t need as much milk as you think they do.
A newborn’s stomach is the size of a marble or the equivalent of 2 to 3 teaspoons of milk, according to Baby Center.
J’Nel says there is often a “lack of understanding around what is normal and to be expected of a newborn baby, and so normal behaviors are seen as problems and breastfeeding is blamed.” When that happens, unnecessary troubleshooting measures are taken, which can further complicate the feeding relationship.
IBCLCs help to ground expectations and provide strategies. “IBCLCs are around when things become more difficult, you can't find a resolution otherwise and you need a clinical mind to look in and bring more extensive knowledge and support to the situation,” she says.
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They can tailor your breastfeeding journey to your lifestyle.
We don’t often see the different ways breastfeeding can look in real life. The few depictions we do see feature a mother who is stationary, feeding her child. We often don’t see the mothers who exclusively pump and feed their babies from a bottle or the mothers who are combo-feeding with a mixture of formula and breast milk.
IBCLCs help with breastfeeding and also provide information on weaning.
They provide much-needed community.
Society doesn’t always regard breastfeeding positively. Having all of the support you can helps in what can be an arduous process, even though it’s natural.
“We currently exist in a culture that doesn't support the breastfeeding family,” J’Nel says. “So while it's biologically natural, it's no longer culturally normal. It really throws a lot of people because they don't see the antenatal support.”
IBCLCs can be that addition and much-needed support system.
Having access to someone's extensive understanding of the most complex lactation situations is not only an invaluable resource, J’Nel says, it’s one less thing you won’t have to frantically Google. “You don't have to do the researching to make the decisions at a time when you already have so much on your plate,” she says.
*Disclaimer: The advice on CafeMom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
