Today we’re celebrating International Board Certified Lactation Consultants Day and recognizing the important role the consultants have to improve the lives of breastfeeding families. International Board Certified Lactation Consultants are healthcare professionals who specialize in the clinical management of breastfeeding and work in a wide variety of settings, including the Arizona WIC Program. When a family has the opportunity to work with a certified lactation consultant we see increased breastfeeding rates that will help improve the health outcomes of our communities.
The Arizona WIC Program offers a mentoring program to increase the number of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants in WIC. Since 2006, we have increased from one to more than 90 consultants helping moms and babies in our WIC clinics. For more information about the benefits of breastfeeding, visit our Breastfeeding Program website. You can get answers to your breastfeeding questions 24 hours a day by calling the Arizona Department of Health Services 24-Hour Breastfeeding Hotline at 1-800-833-4642. IBCLC Day is celebrated each year on the first Wednesday of March and is sponsored by the International Lactation Consultant Association.
