As a nurse, keeping up to date in your field is vital. With many options for trainings, certifications, and more, how do you know what to choose? If you work in family medicine, maternity, pediatrics, etc., becoming a certified breastfeeding counselor (CBC) is an excellent way to advance your career.
Best of all, this certification is another way for you to support your patients. As a nurse, you’re already making a tremendous difference in the lives of your patients. Now you can make an additional impact in the health and wellbeing of your tiniest patients.
What is a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor?
Many healthcare providers are familiar with IBCLC, or Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultants. These lactation consultants tackle the big breastfeeding concerns such as ongoing feeding difficulties, weight checks, weighted feeds, and more.
To become an IBCLC, you often need ninety academic hours plus a thousand clinical hours. This is do the wide scope of practice they provide.
A CBC is a professional lactation support which provides evidenced based information and support for breastfeeding initiation and common breastfeeding concerns.
A nurse who becomes a CBC might:
- Help with initial latching immediately after birth
- Provide support and answer questions during the postpartum stay in the hospital
- Answer questions about introducing bottles and pacifiers while breastfeeding
- Help new parents learn about the benefits of breastfeeding
- Assist new parents in teaching a healthy baby to properly latch
- Aid in a pumping plan for returning to work
- Answer questions in a pediatrician’s office about typical breastfeeding concerns
When you’re a CBC with a nursing background, you have the added benefit of quickly knowing when something is beyond your scope of practice. Directing new parents to an IBCLC or pediatrician quickly is an important part of supporting parents facing lactation or health difficulties.
How Can Being a CBC Advance Your Nursing Career?
Many employers recognize those who go above and beyond in acquiring education. Some facilities will even adjust your pay based on additional pertinent certifications.
If you aren’t currently working and L&D, pediatrics, or NICU, obtaining a certification like this can help you achieve your goals. Employers look for people with extra qualifications which will better support the patients.
It is also necessary for nurses to obtain continuing education credits. Additional certifications often meet that criterion. Not only will you have your hours met, you will have an actual certification.
Beyond Nursing, What Can I Do With A CBC?
Even if your goal isn’t to advance your nursing career as a CBC, there are many things you can do with this education.
In fact, many CBCs are not nurses. Some CBCs are doulas, childcare providers, childbirth educators, and some are solely CBCs as a career. As a CBC you might find work such as:
- Working in a WIC office
- Creating online education content for parents and professionals
- Having a private lactation practice supporting clients
- Holding feeding support groups for new parents
- Teaching prenatal classes about infant feeding
- Providing video and phone lactation support
However, as a nurse, you’re likely to have even more career opportunities with this extra certification. As more parents aim to breastfeed, the demand for professional support continues to increase. If you already work with parents, this additional certification will provide you with more skills and happier patients.
Do I Need to Become An IBCLC?
No, you do not need to become an IBCLC to make use of your CBC. Many nurses and other professionals receive their CBC and do not get additional lactation training. Being a CBC is a professional certification which allows you to provide professional lactation support for typically health birthing parents and infants, and basic troubleshooting.
However, some CBCs decide they want to provide advanced lactation support. For those professionals, they go on to receive their IBCLC lactation certification. The wonderful thing about IDI’s lactation and advanced lactation courses is they can be used towards IBCLC requirements. As a CBC, you can work towards the additional clinical hours required to sit for the exam.
Whether your goal is to advance your nursing degree as a CBC, or to eventually become an IBCLC, IDI can provide you with the start you need. You can register today and begin advancing your career!