What is a lactation consultant?

A lactation consultant is a trained professional who can help women learn how to feed their babies. Hopefully, she has met the qualification for, and passed the exam given by, the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLE).

The term lactation consultant isn’t trademarked, meaning that anyone can use it whether they are certified by IBCLE or not. However, IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) is a registered trademark, so, only board certified lactation consultants will have the letters IBCLC following their name. And since IBCLE is an international organization, the standards and scope of practice for IBCLCs are the same worldwide.

Alternately, someone whose name is followed by CLE or CLC likely took a course that was about a week long but doesn’t have the prior knowledge, experience, or clinical hours that an IBCLC has. IBCLC’s are the gold standard for providing evidence-based lactation support for you and your baby and are especially important if you are having significant problems with milk supply or have a baby that is preterm or has medical challenges.

What can you expect during your visit?

Please plan accordingly for 90-120 minutes for the first visit based on services being performed.

After arriving to your home, we’ll chat about any challenges, issues, or concerns you are having regarding yourself or your baby. We will review the health history form and go over any additional information needed. Please note, there is no special cleaning or tidying up necessary! We do ask that any pets who can be aggressive towards visitors be put in a separate space for a safe environment.

For a competent and comprehensive assessment, the lactation consultant will observe active breastfeeding/pumping/bottle feeding. An infant scale will be used for the breastfeeding session to perform a weighted feeding, which allows us to see the milk transfer.

Following the appointment, a typed up plan summarizing what we talked will be e-mailed to you within 12 hours. Before leaving, our next appointment follow-up will be discussed and planned.

Constant communication is included in your fee, so always reach out if there is a question or a concern!

Does insurance cover lactation consultants?

In some instances, yes, your visit will be covered by insurance. If you have BCBS PPO, Cigna PPO, or a Multi-Plan insurance, I’m confident at least 6 visits will be covered free of charge. If you do not have these insurances, you will be provided with a Superbill to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Ultimately, the best way to know for sure is to contact your insurance company directly to ask about lactation coverage. There is more information about the payment process on the services page.