Let me tell you a bit about myself...
I am a mother to five children who have all been breastfed. Wanting to help others experience the joys of breastfeeding that I have experienced, I decided to join a breastfeeding parent-to-parent support organization as a volunteer. I have been an accredited breastfeeding counselor for the last 25+ years with this organization. I really enjoyed helping parents to effectively breastfeed their babies and support them. All those years of experience have been proven invaluable to me in my Lactation Consulting practice.
One of my babies had a very, very difficult time with breastfeeding, and would not latch on at all. Nothing I did helped. It was at this point that I turned to an IBCLC Lactation Consultant for help. Over time, she was able to work with me and my baby to turn a seemingly impossible breastfeeding situation around. That was nothing short of miraculous to me!
What is an IBCLC? An IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Anyone can call themselves a "lactation consultant," and it doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are lots of different "Lactation Professionals" out there with many different titles and initials. It can be really confusing trying to figure out the differences between all of them. This is a helpful article highlighting what the differences are: http://breastfeedinglasvegas.blogspot.com/2013/03/clc-cle-clec-ibclcomg-what-does-it-all.html Some only have a few hours of education and no clinical experience! But only IBCLCs are board certified. IBCLCs must meet very specific educational and clinical criteria to apply, and must pass a rigorous exam and recertify every 5 years. See www.IBLCE.org for more information.
There were so many times I would encounter situations as a parent-to-parent breastfeeding counselor that were beyond my scope as a layperson. It was so frustrating that I couldn't do more to help these parents and their babies. I decided to become an IBCLC myself and make a career of helping families successfully breastfeed. After lots and lots of practice, studying, and working to be able to qualify to sit the exam, I took the exam and passed with flying colors! I continue to work to keep current with new developments in the field of Lactation and to take advantage of opportunities to attend conferences and classes to increase my knowledge and skills.
"With Linda by my side, with her knowledge and support, we made it through, and I was successful in breastfeeding my daughter for a full year."
Teresa D., Whittier
"Linda was so helpful! I didn't know my son had a lip tie and it was such a relief to identify the problem behind all my pain. She helped me figure out the pump and answered so many of my questions. Thank you Linda for solving the mystery!"
Autumn R. Los Angeles
One of my babies had a very, very difficult time with breastfeeding, and would not latch on at all. Nothing I did helped. It was at this point that I turned to an IBCLC Lactation Consultant for help. Over time, she was able to work with me and my baby to turn a seemingly impossible breastfeeding situation around. That was nothing short of miraculous to me!
What is an IBCLC? An IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Anyone can call themselves a "lactation consultant," and it doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are lots of different "Lactation Professionals" out there with many different titles and initials. It can be really confusing trying to figure out the differences between all of them. This is a helpful article highlighting what the differences are: http://breastfeedinglasvegas.blogspot.com/2013/03/clc-cle-clec-ibclcomg-what-does-it-all.html Some only have a few hours of education and no clinical experience! But only IBCLCs are board certified. IBCLCs must meet very specific educational and clinical criteria to apply, and must pass a rigorous exam and recertify every 5 years. See www.IBLCE.org for more information.
There were so many times I would encounter situations as a parent-to-parent breastfeeding counselor that were beyond my scope as a layperson. It was so frustrating that I couldn't do more to help these parents and their babies. I decided to become an IBCLC myself and make a career of helping families successfully breastfeed. After lots and lots of practice, studying, and working to be able to qualify to sit the exam, I took the exam and passed with flying colors! I continue to work to keep current with new developments in the field of Lactation and to take advantage of opportunities to attend conferences and classes to increase my knowledge and skills.
"With Linda by my side, with her knowledge and support, we made it through, and I was successful in breastfeeding my daughter for a full year."
Teresa D., Whittier
"Linda was so helpful! I didn't know my son had a lip tie and it was such a relief to identify the problem behind all my pain. She helped me figure out the pump and answered so many of my questions. Thank you Linda for solving the mystery!"
Autumn R. Los Angeles