About Certified Lactation Educators

Breastfeeding has been shown to be the perfect food for babies, and has also been associated with a decreased number of gastrointestinal infections and a lowered risk of obesity later in life. Certified lactation educators (CLEs) can help women learn about breastfeeding before birth, and to put that knowledge into action after their baby is born, increasing the chances that they will choose to breastfeed and continue breastfeeding for a longer period of time.

Theories/Speculation

The one-on-one professional breastfeeding support provided by a CLE before a baby's birth helps women make an informed decision about breastfeeding in advance. Making this decision beforehand makes it more likely that a woman will actually follow through with breastfeeding after a baby's birth, a principle referred to by breastfeeding intervention researchers as the Theory of Planned Behavior. Research also shows that the type of hands-on support given by CLEs is much more effective in promoting and maintaining breastfeeding than merely presenting information or verbally telling a woman how to breastfeed.

Function

A Certified Lactation Educator (CLE) serves a variety of functions. During pregnancy, the CLE teaches women the benefits of breastfeeding and the skills involved, and assists them in making decisions about how they want to feed their baby. After a baby is born, a CLE helps mom and baby learn proper latch-on and positioning techniques, addresses breastfeeding concerns and assists the mother in solving breastfeeding issues and problems. CLEs also counsel moms on how to continue breastfeeding as they return to work or school.

Types

CLEs can be certified as lactation educators in addition to being certified in another healthcare area, such as a nurse or a doula. CLEs working in public health settings may support women individually or in class or group settings on a long-term basis throughout pregnancy and during the postpartum period, supplementing programs and services like the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) supplemental nutrition program. By contrast, CLEs working in labor and delivery units may only see women once as they learn how to breastfeed immediately after the birth of a baby.

Misconceptions

Many people think that only nurses can become Certified Lactation Educators, but most CLE training programs allow anyone to enroll. The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners sets forth educational prerequisites for non-healthcare professionals who want to become certified, and suggests that women obtain some type of prior experience as a breastfeeding peer counselor. While it may be difficult to find work in a medical setting such as a labor and delivery unit in a hospital, some health departments and walk-in breastfeeding clinics are willing to hire Certified Lactation Consultants who are not also registered nurses.

Potential

Certified Lactation Educators are currently not located in all hospitals, health departments and obstetric offices. Ideally, in the future, each labor and delivery unit and public health setting would have at least one CLE to support breastfeeding women and help them work through any breastfeeding problems or issues. Since promotion of breastfeeding is part of the movement to prevent childhood obesity, the job of a CLE will become increasingly important in the field of mother and infant care, and more jobs will become available, making lactation education a sound career choice.