As a certified breastfeeding counselor (CBC), many parents are going to ask your advice for breastfeeding resources. It’s important to be able to point parents to evidenced based, and up-to-date information.

Having a resource list can make your work as a CBC easier. Knowing a few reputable websites and books makes it easier for you to provide information to your clients. Many parents have common questions that may not require ongoing consultations. In these cases, you can point them to vetted resources to answer their common breastfeeding questions.

It can also be helpful in situations where providing certain information is outside your scope of practice. For example, you cannot provide medication advice, but you can point them to a resource where they can get more information.

Prenatal Breastfeeding Resources

Many expectant parents plan to initiate breastfeeding and hope to continue. Prenatal education can be an excellent part of preparing for breastfeeding.

Visual aids can be quite helpful. Here are a few helpful videos about breastfeeding:

• Breast is Best
• Ameda – Your Baby Knows How To Latch

Breastfeeding books:

• The First-Time Mom’s Breastfeeding Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide from First Latch to Weaning by Chrisie Rosenthal, IBCLC
• Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding

Other prenatal resources:

• Information is Your Ally in preparing to breastfeed: 10 Tips for Success
• Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Baby and Mother
• As a CBC you can provide prenatal breastfeeding classes or refer them to other local classes

Breastfeeding And Medication

A common question breastfeeding moms have is if medication is safe while feeding her baby. Even if you know the answer, you cannot provide medical advice to mothers as a CBC.

For this reason, having resources you can share is important. Resources for medication during breastfeeding include:

• Infant Risk Center – this is a free resource run by Dr. Hale. The center collects up-to-date data about medication during pregnancy and lactation. They are often more knowledgeable about current recommendations than many providers
• How do I determine if a medication is safe for a breastfeeding mother?

As a CBC, it is important to stay within your scope of practice. Providing medical advice, medication advice, etc., is outside of a CBC’s scope of practice. While physicians and pharmacists can provide information about medication during lactation, not every provider keeps up to date with data. For this reason, it isn’t uncommon for women to be told medication is unsafe, and/or they may need to wean in order to receive a certain treatment.

As a CBC, you cannot advise them to go against their physician. However, you can educate them in general. Letting clients know that their providers don’t always have the right lactation information and providing one of the resources above, is staying within your scope of practice.

Nearly every medication, both prescription and over the counter, says to ask a healthcare provider before taking if lactating. This isn’t because the medications are inherently dangerous, it’s about liability. While you cannot tell them a medication is safe, you can point them to a resource to help them confirm.

Top Breastfeeding Websites

For nearly every question, there’s an article. However, for new parents it can be quite challenging to sift through all the online resources. Making things even more challenging, many formula websites provide lactation articles. These articles aren’t always the best evidenced based information.

As a CBC, it can be helpful to provide your clients with a list of reputable sites with breastfeeding information. I often tell parents they can simply Google “Kellymom [any question]” and they will likely get an article from that site written by an IBCLC.

Some of the top breastfeeding sites include:

• KellyMom
• The International Breastfeeding Centre – Run by Dr. Jack Newman and parents can submit questions for an evidenced based reply
• Breastfeeding USA
• ILCA – Parents can find an IBCLC. At times, parents may need more support than you can provide as a CBC. Helping parents locate an IBCLC is an excellent resource to offer
• BellyBelly – Provides a variety of breastfeeding information written by IBCLCs

Why Are Resources Important?

As a CBC, it’s important you can provide not only practical breastfeeding support but also evidenced-based information. Part of establishing yourself as a professional is being seen as an expert in your field. When you are able to provide parents with reputable resources, you build your reputation as an expert.

Having a list of resources also makes it easier for you to answer inquires. Not everyone who contacts you is in need of a consult. Being able to provide a resource to assist means providing valuable community support. It also means that if they do need a consult, or know someone else who does, they’re likely to reach back out to you.