Question for BF advisors and suchlike about their job...

[TettyLouBar]

Hi there,
How did you get into your job? do you have any suggestions about what I need to do/ courses/ experience in order to make a career in BF advising type role?
(Am currently a RN)

ooh watching with interest as i was going to post the same question...

anyone?

bf counsellors are volunteers...

If you put Lactation Consultant into UK google you'll find those who do it for a living, as opposed to volunteer. Training likely to be expensive. Not sure there's much future in it as a career.

The NCT run a course to train up breast feeding counsellors. You get paid for your teaching work in the antenatal classes. Will be more info on their website.

Oh and training to be a breastfeeding counsellor is free with the NCT, the charity covers your training fees.

Thanks ladies, just needed a starting point to begin looking into the training etc.

yes, I wondered that too I must say. Surely it would be a growing role?

I was thinking the OP meant a full-time career-type job, with prospects and money and everything. Breastfeeding support seems to be done on the cheap in the NHS, either people working v. part time (PCT breast feeding advisor works one day a week) or on a voluntary basis.

I think there are only a very small handful of people who make a living solely out of breastfeeding support. There is no realistic career in it, IMO. You can become an infant feeding co-ordinator fo a PCT or maternity unit, but the only ones I know of are midwives or health visitors who have done extra breastfeeding training and who are already fairly senior - I don't know of any RNs who do it, but that's just my experience.

There are some manager posts with peer support programmes.

Lactation consultants work as volunteers or as midwives. There is a tiny no. in private practice.

Maybe other people will come up with other ideas

Oh, and this is absolutely not a growth area at all. The money for breastfeeding support is mostly going to train volunteers.

you could contact The Breastfeeding Network re training to become a breastfeeding counsellor.
check out their website for details. dont think its free though.
also something i would like to do, but dont think i could make a living from it unfortunately.

thankyou