Lactation support: What does a Lactation Consultant do?
Updated: 1 day ago
A feed can look settled from across the room while feeling painful, exhausting or deeply worrying to the person doing it.
Lactation support is about helping families understand what is happening with feeding, identify where difficulties may be arising and make informed choices about what feels right for them. It is not limited to breastfeeding, and it is not only something to consider in the first few days after birth.
Support may be relevant whether an infant is breastfeeding or chestfeeding, receiving expressed milk, bottle feeding, combination feeding, or moving between different feeding methods.
What is a lactation consultant?
The term “lactation consultant” is widely used, but it is important to understand that in the UK it is not a legally protected professional title. This means that the words “lactation consultant” alone do not tell you what qualification, education or clinical experience someone has.
Different professionals may provide lactation or infant-feeding support, with very different levels of education, training, experience and scope of practice.
This does not mean that one type of support is automatically right for every family. Peer supporters, breastfeeding counsellors, healthcare professionals and lactation consultants can all have valuable roles. However, their qualifications and scope are not interchangeable.
For families seeking specialist lactation care, it is therefore worth asking what qualification the person holds rather than relying solely on the job title they use.
Understanding the different levels of support
There are several different routes through which families may access feeding support.
Peer support
Peer supporters are often people with their own breastfeeding experience who have undertaken training to provide support within a defined role. Their lived experience can be particularly valuable because they understand many of the practical and emotional challenges that feeding can bring.
Personal breastfeeding experience, however, is not the same as professional lactation education or clinical training. Someone who has breastfed for six months, for example, may have valuable personal experience, but that experience alone does not provide the same knowledge, assessment skills or clinical scope as a professional lactation qualification.
Peer support is an important part of the wider support network and can work alongside more specialist care when this is needed.
Breastfeeding counsellors
Breastfeeding counsellors undertake training through individual organisations, and the level and structure of that training can vary. They commonly provide support with everyday breastfeeding challenges, antenatal education, groups and helplines, with more complex situations referred on when appropriate.
Healthcare professionals with additional feeding education
Midwives, health visitors, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals may have additional education and experience in infant feeding alongside their primary professional qualification.
Their knowledge can be particularly valuable because they can consider feeding alongside the wider health and wellbeing of the infant and caregiver.
However, having a healthcare qualification does not automatically mean that someone has specialist lactation training.
IBCLC
IBCLC stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
The IBCLC credential is the highest level of internationally recognised professional certification specifically focused on lactation care. Certification is awarded by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) following defined education, clinical experience and examination requirements.
IBCLCs work with families experiencing a wide range of feeding situations and may also work as part of a wider maternal and infant healthcare team, making referrals and collaborating with other professionals when appropriate.
The distinction is important: being an IBCLC is not simply another way of saying “lactation consultant”. An IBCLC has demonstrated that they have met the requirements for this specific professional certification.
What does it take to become an IBCLC?
IBCLC certification has defined eligibility requirements covering health sciences, lactation-specific education and clinical experience.
Current IBLCE pathways require candidates to demonstrate substantial lactation-specific clinical experience through one of three routes. Depending on the pathway, this includes 1,000 hours of lactation-specific clinical practice, 300 hours of directly supervised clinical practice through an accredited lactation academic programme, or 500 hours of directly supervised lactation-specific practice through an IBLCE-verified pathway.
Candidates also need lactation-specific education, including education in communication skills, and must pass the IBCLC examination.
Certification does not end with passing the examination. IBCLCs are required to maintain their professional knowledge and meet ongoing recertification requirements.
This is why the letters “IBCLC” provide useful information to families: they identify a specific professional credential rather than simply a job title.
When can lactation support be helpful?
Lactation support is often associated with the immediate postnatal period, but there is no requirement for difficulties to be severe or for a baby to be very young before seeking help.
Support can begin during pregnancy, when a caregiver wants to understand feeding options, prepare for breastfeeding or chestfeeding, learn about expressing, or simply know what to expect.
After birth, support may be helpful when:
feeding is painful or uncomfortable
an infant is struggling to attach or stay attached
feeds are very long, very frequent or feel particularly exhausting
there are concerns about milk transfer or milk supply
an infant appears unsettled during or after feeds
expressing or pumping is difficult
a caregiver is unsure about flange fit or expressing technique
bottle feeding is proving difficult
combination feeding is being considered
a family is moving between breast, bottle and expressed milk
an infant is having difficulty coordinating feeding
there are concerns about an infant's oral function, including where tongue-tie may be part of the clinical picture
a caregiver is returning to work or planning changes to their feeding routine
feeding goals have changed
a caregiver wants to reduce or stop breastfeeding or expressing
a family simply wants reassurance that feeding is going well.
Sometimes the most useful intervention is not changing the feeding method at all. It may simply be understanding what is happening, confirming that feeding is progressing normally and giving a caregiver the confidence to continue.
Lactation support is not just about breastfeeding
The word “lactation” can sometimes make people assume that support is only relevant to breastfeeding.
In reality, infant feeding can take many forms, and families may move between methods over time.
A lactation professional may support a caregiver who is:
exclusively breastfeeding or chestfeeding
expressing milk
providing expressed milk by bottle or another method
combination feeding
formula feeding
transitioning from one feeding method to another
introducing or increasing bottle feeds
returning to breastfeeding after a period of expressing or bottle feeding
gradually reducing feeds or stopping altogether.
Bottle feeding is therefore not outside the scope of infant-feeding support. Appropriate support may include understanding feeding cues, responsive bottle feeding, pacing, positioning and helping a caregiver feel confident with their chosen feeding method.
The aim should not be to make every family feed in the same way. Good support helps families understand their options and make informed decisions that work for their own circumstances.
Support can begin in pregnancy and continue for as long as it is wanted
There is a common perception that lactation support is something needed only when breastfeeding is first established.
In reality, feeding can change considerably over the weeks and months following birth.
A caregiver may want support during pregnancy, in the first days after birth, several weeks or months later, when returning to work, when introducing bottles, when increasing or reducing expressing, when combination feeding, or when preparing to stop feeding.
There is no single point at which a family is expected to stop needing support.
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding counselling during pregnancy and after birth, continuing throughout the period of breastfeeding. NICE also recommends feeding support before and after birth and continued discussion of feeding as part of ongoing health contacts.
The important thing is that support should remain appropriate to the family's current feeding goals rather than assuming that those goals will remain unchanged.
Where can families find infant-feeding support?
Specialist lactation care is only one part of the wider infant-feeding support network.
Families may also receive support from:
midwives
health visitors
NHS infant-feeding teams
maternity and community services
trained peer supporters
local breastfeeding groups, cafés and drop-ins
national breastfeeding helplines
breastfeeding counsellors
IBCLCs and other appropriately trained infant-feeding professionals.
These different forms of support can complement one another.
A peer supporter may be exactly what a caregiver needs for reassurance and practical encouragement. A health visitor or midwife may identify a wider health concern. An IBCLC may be appropriate when a feeding situation is complex or requires more specialist lactation assessment.
Knowing where each type of support sits within the wider picture helps families access the right level of help without suggesting that one service has to replace another.
What does good lactation support look like?
Good lactation support should feel supportive rather than judgemental.
It should start by listening to what the caregiver wants to achieve rather than assuming that there is one “correct” way to feed an infant.
A skilled professional should take time to understand the feeding history, observe what is happening where appropriate, consider the infant and caregiver together, explain their findings clearly and discuss options rather than simply giving instructions.
Good support should also recognise when something falls outside the professional's scope and when another healthcare professional or specialist assessment is needed.
Most importantly, receiving feeding support should never feel like a test that a caregiver has either passed or failed.
Feeding can be complicated. Families may have strong hopes and expectations before their baby arrives and find that their experience is very different afterwards. Feeding plans may change repeatedly as circumstances change.
Professional support should help families navigate those changes without judgement.
Choosing a lactation professional
If you are looking for lactation support, it is reasonable to ask:
What qualification do you hold?
Are you an IBCLC?
What lactation-specific education have you completed?
What clinical experience do you have?
What types of feeding situations do you support?
What falls outside your scope of practice?
How do you work alongside other healthcare professionals when needed?
What happens if further assessment or support is required?
If someone describes themselves as a lactation consultant, remember that the title itself does not tell you their level of training.
If you specifically want to see an IBCLC, you can verify whether someone currently holds the credential by checking the IBCLC Registry through IBLCE.
The Lactation Consultants of Great Britain also publishes a useful guide, Who's Who in Breastfeeding Support and Lactation in the UK, which explains the differences between IBCLCs, breastfeeding counsellors, peer supporters and other forms of breastfeeding support.
The right support is the support that meets your needs
There is no shame in asking for help with feeding, whether the difficulty is significant or you simply want reassurance.
You do not have to wait until feeding has become overwhelming before seeking support, and you do not have to be experiencing a problem at all.
Sometimes support is about preparation. Sometimes it is about solving a specific difficulty. Sometimes it is about understanding your options when your original feeding plan has changed.
And sometimes it is simply having someone knowledgeable sit with you, listen to what is happening and help you make sense of it.
The most important thing is that families know what type of support is available, understand the qualifications behind the person providing it, and feel able to choose the level of support that is appropriate for them.
References
International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) (2026) About IBLCE.
International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) (2026) Clinical Experience Requirements and Pathways to the IBCLC.
Lactation Consultants of Great Britain (LCGB) (2025) Who's Who in Breastfeeding Support and Lactation in the UK.
Lactation Consultants of Great Britain (LCGB) (2025) What is an IBCLC?
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2021) Postnatal care, NG194.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2025) Postnatal care, NG247.
NHS (2025) Breastfeeding and help with breastfeeding.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2021) Implementation guidance: protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2026) Ensuring competency for providers of breastfeeding support and care: a toolkit.
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