Day 4 of Insights - 7 Things Every New IBCLC Needs to Know
#4
Welcome to my IBCLC© Day 2023 Series! Each day I’ll share with you one piece of insight about our work. (If you’re too excited and you just want to read them all now, go here and download the whole list)
Let me know in the comments if you agree, disagree, never thought about it this way, or whatever you’re feeling!
What it looks like when you imagine a day in the life of a lactation consultant can be very different from the reality. You might envision feeling a real sense that you are making a difference every single day - changing lives, making people happy, squishing adorable babies. But the reality can feel very different. It’s important to know that going in so you can be prepared to remind yourself what you need to do to safeguard your own well-being in this career.
4. You may not feel like you accomplished very much at the end of a day of lactation work.
There's no inbox and outbox in lactation work. Even if you work somewhere that provides you a list of patients to see on your shift or you start the day with your schedule of client appointments, results are not obvious and easy to see in this job.
You may walk away from a day feeling as if you worked really hard and have no idea if you actually helped anyone. You may wonder if you are making a difference. Useful feedback can be hard to come by.
Focus on this: your role - and the commitment you made as an IBCLC - is to show up for people who are seeking or who require lactation support and clinical expertise, and to provide that to them in a competent and compassionate way. Did you do that?
You did. Even if you could never get that one baby to latch, and the mother you've been working with for 5 weeks is still struggling with milk production, and the parent on the phone is not seeming to accept the realities of the lactation plan you helped them create - you showed up for them and gave them the support they needed in that moment.
It can be really hard to see how much your presence, support, and clinical assistance mean to people. It can be even harder if you work in a setting where your co-workers do not value your knowledge or what you do, or where they question your impact because they misunderstand breastfeeding in general. It is in these moments that you must widen your gaze - look up and out to the larger lactation field and seek the professional support you need from your network of colleagues. You are part of something much bigger, and it helps to remember that every day.
Like everything else in your life, it can help to have a network of people with whom you can process, vent, share, and learn. Build your squad of lactation people! You’ll need them in these kinds of tough times, and you’ll appreciate them in good times, too.
I host a membership network of lactation care providers called Evolve Lactation Community, and one of the coolest things about it is the ability to reach out and connect with each other anytime. Sometimes we ask clinical questions and get folks to weigh in, other times we share our “little victories” and our challenging moments.
Whatever we’re sharing, it helps us to feel less alone in this work. If you’re interested in learning more about how to join Evolve Lactation Community, drop a comment below with the word “Community” and I’ll send you some details!
Information about the IBCLC© credential and how to pursue it can be found at www.iblce.org
Information about IBCLC Day can be found at www.ilca.org
Community