Celebrate with ladies of the world today who just became International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. (Since 1985, 30,000 individuals worldwide have been awarded this certification.)
For months I worked hard studying the anatomy and physiology of lactation, how babies develop in their abilites to suckle, what milk is made of, how we care for babies who struggle to nurse, and why breastfeeding saves the lives of millions every day! Some days I would wonder how something so "natural" could be so complicated! When I took the exam in July, I was one of the gals hoping that months of flash cards, study groups, and late night textbooking would do the trick!
Though I have worked with breastfeeding families for three decades, I have been amazed at how "handy" this new level of information is for me. The high incidence of c-section, obesity, gestational diabetes, and lack of family support makes lactation a challenge for many of the moms that I see at UNC. I look forward to continuing to translate book learning into real-life problem solving--one breastfeeding mom at a time!