Last week was a whirlwind.

I attended the Healthy Children’s: Center for Breastfeeding Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) training. Eight hours per day for 5 days culminating in a 100 question exam and 2 video practicums.

The first two days were spent unlearning many of the things I thought I already knew about breastfeeding. The rest of the week was a blur of discussions about skin-to-skin, inviting babies to the “breastaurant”, latch, latch, and more latch, pumps, formula (yes, formula…the good, the bad, and the ugly), hormones, anatomy (more than meets the eye), sore nipples, ethics, and a multitude of other equally important, mind boggling facts and issues. My brain has not felt so overloaded since grad school (which was…um…several years ago).

The thing that impressed me the most about the CLC training, was that the entire curriculum is built on evidenced based research. So much of what women learn about breastfeeding, myself included (hence all of the unlearning I had to do), comes from well intended advice from friends/family and Google searches. Myths about a mom’s breast size, milk supply, stress level, nutrition, and exhaustion discourage or deter women from breastfeeding because they may fear failure. The truth of the matter is that breastfeeding can be the most empowering experience in a woman’s life and if more women understood the facts, we could adapt our culture into one where breastfeeding is the norm. Hospitals should be encouraging moms to seek out professional lactation support and evidence based resources like OurMilkyWay.org, KellyMom.com, and BreastfeedingUSA.org rather than passing out formula samples (I’ll save that rant for another post).

Another unique aspect of the CLC approach is that it’s a “hands off” approach. Many women report being turned off by lactation support that consisted of grabbing and touching mom and baby. The reality is that healthy term babies can locate their mom’s breast and latch correctly if only given the opportunity. Lactation support may require little more than educating and encouraging mother and baby. Sure, there are special cases that require more assistance and problem solving, but many of the “problems” moms encounter are created by too much interference and not enough faith in mom’s ability to meet her baby’s needs.

For me, this “hands off” approach means that I am not limited by my physical abilities. The CLC program is one that would be easily adaptable and accessible to anyone able to complete the training. The only requirement is possessing a determination to help others.

In the end, I learned a ton about lactation, breastfeeding, and counseling. I highly recommend the course to anyone interested in helping moms and babies.

Now, I sit and wait while they grade our assessments for the next 6-8 weeks. Oh the torture!