Breastfeeding Consultancy Hours

Calculating your Hours
BC hours are those when you work directly with breastfeeding dyads specifically related to breastfeeding issues. These breastfeeding consultancy hours must be ones that are done in a professional arena such as a hospital, WIC clinic, physician's office, as a qualified La Leche League Leader, or other. Helping moms informally does not count toward those hours - neither does breastfeeding your own babies, though both experiences are certainly valuable!

Most people who are planning to take the IBLCE exam will qualify under Pathway 1, which requires 45 hours of lactation education and 1000 breastfeeding consultancy hours.  Please see the IBCLC website for a more comprehensive discussion of the requirements.

Worksheet Example:
Need: 2000 hours
Goal: Sit for IBLCE exam in 2012
Number of didactic hours obtained: Certified Lactation Specialist Course taken in 2009: 45 CERP's.

Examples:

The Breastfeeding Consultancy hours seem prohibitive! How can I get them all?

If you are a mother-baby nurse, you can figure the percentage of time you have worked with mothers and infants teaching and assisting them with breastfeeding during the five years prior to applying for the exam.   If you have worked for WIC as a peer counselor, or worked as a qualified La Leche League Leader, or in any other professional capacity with breastfeeding couplets, those hours will count. See Calculating your Hours.

Take your lactation consultant preparation program before you start working on obtaining your BC hours. Working with an experienced IBCLC in a hospital or clinic setting is the best way to get your hours. You will also need experiences with preterm and sick infants; healthy older babies and nursing toddlers.

Becoming An IBCLC

How do I begin?

Acquiring Experience

Breastfeeding Consultancy Hours

IBLCE (Board) Exam

What to Consider

Job Market

Pay

Costs