Nourishing Mothers & Babies: An Interview with Alicia Duncan, IBCLC
As Alicia Duncan & I started our phone conversation, we heard tornado sirens wailing in the distance. Laughing at the inevitability of this Indiana Summer Event, we cut the call short to check radars & safety, and then resumed quickly where we had left off… because, yep, we are that passionate about helping mothers feel supported and strong when it comes to breastfeeding.
Alicia is an IBCLC -- this alphabet soup of letters means that she is an international board certified lactation consultant. She doesn’t just know about breastfeeding; she knows a lot about breastfeeding, babies’ physiological needs, maternal needs, and how lactation works. She is qualified to help with lactation concerns in unique ways; her certification came after over 90 hours of comprehensive lactation training and over 1,000 lactation specific clinical experience (That’s a one with 3 zeroes!). As an IBCLC, she is also required to have 40 hours of additional breastfeeding education every five years. She’d be the first to tell you, though, that the learning never stops.
These hours of learning make a difference when compared with the breastfeeding education many other important infant experts receive. One review found that pediatric residents, for instance (our future pediatricians!), only receive about 3 hours of breastfeeding education a year. They have so many crucial medical things to study that it is hard to imagine where they should be squeezing in additional breastfeeding ed hours - this is one reason why IBCLCs are so brilliant to partner with for breastfeeding support!
Their support is also uniquely personalized. Many people think that breastfeeding is simply a mother & her baby; it’s more accurate to say that it’s a mother, her baby, and their environment. As an IBCLC, Alicia firmly believes in the value of assessing how breastfeeding looks in your space. Sometimes the ways we breastfeed in our own spaces can make breastfeeding incredibly uncomfortable (how we sit on our chairs, how we support ourselves, where we do it) & that can sabotage our chances of breastfeeding success. Doing an in-home visit (or video chat during Covid-19) gives Alicia a chance to see the whole picture, which means she can help her clients better.
Many people also assume that lactation consultants are dogmatic souls who think that breastfeeding equals Best Parenting Points in the Game of Life. Nothing could be further from the truth. As Alicia explains it, she wants to nourish and support mothers for the goals they have, not impose her own goals on them. Something I’ve noticed as a doula is reaffirmed by her work in lactation support: so often, women have certain goals for their birth & breastfeeding journeys, but our current culture makes it difficult to feel educated and supported for these goals. IBCLCs and doulas are bridges providing that support, professionals who are not interested in promoting anything other than their own clients’ well-being.
As we spoke, Alicia covered some of the most common issues she sees arise with breastfeeding mothers, and some of the best ways to prep for breastfeeding success while still pregnant. Check back on the blog soon for this information, and check out Alicia's website in the meantime!