Changing the Narrative Campaign!
March 3, 2021, it’s IBCLC day! International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Do you know what it takes to become one? For me, the journey has been long and expensive! There are multiple pathways that you can take to become an IBCLC. These pathways depend on your educational background, experience and sometimes career. I’ve chosen Pathway 3 as my route to IBCLC and it has been a bumpy one! See, Pathway 3 requires clinical mentorship since my current career does not award me with supervised clinical hours and also because I am not a clinical healthcare worker. The issue with Pathway 3 is that it requires the applicant to search for mentorship opportunities on their own. COVID has had an impact in some way, but finding mentorship was difficult on it’s own prior to COVID.
There are individuals and organizations that have created Pathway 3 programs that offer the clinical hours required to complete the requirement. What’s wrong with most of these? Well, they do not offer a wide range of exposure and experience necessary to truly prepare an aspiring IBCLC for real-life problem solving. Most of these programs provide hospital hours where you are usually exposed to the initiation of breastfeeding, basic breastfeeding education and sometimes NICU exposure. But what about the other aspects of being an IBCLC, and the issues that arise on week 2 or even 3 after a mom has been struggling with attempts and can no longer handle it alone. What about exposure to black and brown breasts and the disparities that inhibit women and families of color from achieving their breastfeeding goals? What about mentorship on how to successfully run a private practice or non-profit organization. I’ve found someone that offers answers to all of these questions and I would love to participate in her mentorship program. There is still one issue, expense. I’ve already exhausted my options while obtaining a bachelors, then masters in public health, then lactation specific education and postpartum doula training. I’m calling on my village to support an aspiring IBCLC today so that I may help change this narrative and in turn support other aspiring IBCLCs that will be behind me. Paypal donation links are available here on the website and across my social media accounts.
If you are on your path to IBCLC or even interested in a stepping stone certification such as the one I currently have, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, feel free to reach out to me. Building a village of support for ourselves is essential to the successfulness of the future behind us. Let’s change the narrative together! Thank you — Tikara Cannon, MPH, CBS, PPD
