Would you like to become a Lacation Consultant?

Lactation Consulting is very rewarding work – though, like any health care field, it has its share of frustrations – and one that those of us working within it chose out of a passion to help women and babies succeed at breastfeeding. Like midwifery, it is not a field that is chosen lightly or out of a desire to ‘make it rich’. It is a field that one chooses because one feels ‘called’ to it.

The next question is always ‘How do I become a Lactation Consultant’? And, of course, the answer is, “it depends’! There are three basic pathways to becoming an LC – you will want to choose the one that best suits you.

Happy Tribe can help you become an LC if you choose the direct Mentoring option (Pathway 3). We offer a particular course of Mentoring that is specific to Happy Tribe, and we also offer an Apprenticeship Trade Agreement option in which you become an unpaid employee of Happy Tribe Consulting with a view to collecting a certain number of hours that you use toward being Mentored by Karyn-grace Clarke, IBCLC, so that little or no money needs to be exchanged as you work your way through collecting your breastfeeding consulting hours necessary to sit for the IBLCE exam. Please note that this option is not always available if other Apprentices are already working with Happy Tribe.

1. READING
   1. Books geared toward the art of breastfeeding - a list of necessary titles will be provided to you.
   2. Books geared toward the science of lactation and its medical implications - a list of necessary titles will be provided to you.
   3. Websites geared towards both the art of breastfeeding and the science of lactation - again, a list will be provided.
2. PEER SUPPORT ATTENDANCE AND FACILITATION
   1. Attendance at Happy Tribe sponsored or third party mother-to-mother support groups and educational classes focused on breastfeeding.
   2. Assistance organizing such groups and classes.
   3. Facilitation of such groups and classes.
3. EDUCATION
   1. Completion of the necessary Background Health courses as outlined by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
   2. Completion of the necessary Breastfeeding Specific courses as outlined by the IBLCE
4. EXPERIENCE
   1. Observation of breastfeeding and lactation consultation with clientele.
   2. Assistance with such consultations.
   3. Directly supervised management of such consultations.

Like most post-secondary educational pathways today, working towards becoming an IBCLC does carry a cost and it does take time. You should plan to allow between 3 – 5 years from beginning your pathway to achieving Certification. And, you should budget anywhere from $5000 to $20,000 depending on what pathway you choose.

Happy Tribe Consulting only offers this Lactation Consultant Apprenticeship program to individuals who live within, or are willing to relocate to, an 80km area of where Happy Tribe Consulting conducts its in-person practice (currently, this is in the Central Island Region of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada).

It is expected that prospective LC’s completing the Lactation Consultant Apprenticeship program with Happy Tribe Consulting will sign a confidentiality and exclusivity agreement for the term of their Apprenticeship and for a period of three years after they have reached Certification as a Lactation Consultant. Please contact Karyn-grace Clarke for more information.

For the Lactation Consultant Apprenticeship offered by Happy Tribe Consulting, the following is a list of expected costs (please note that this is approximate, will depend on your region, level of prior education, where and how you obtain the necessary education and other things):

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .