This is the Catery Daily podcast for Tuesday, December 10th, 2024.

I'm Caleb Brown.

Only a handful of states licensed lactation consultants, professionals who help new moms

with some of the difficulties of breastfeeding.

One important question, what if the licensing itself reduces access for these new

mothers? It is Jeff Singer and co-author Sophia Hamilton. Explore that question in their new paper

available today. Starting in the 1950s, we saw the emergence of these formalized community support groups that provided peer-to-peer support

in education for nursing mothers. The first group that started was the La Lece League International,

which was established in Chicago. And interestingly enough, they had their own accreditation

department. So they were accrediting their own leaders that were then teaching and supporting

these mothers to make sure that they were qualified to be giving this support in this education.

And over the next few decades, we saw these groups expand. More were popping up around the

country as more women were being taught how to breastfeed and the

importance of breastfeeding for both their own health and the health of their child.

And in the 1980s, 1985, we saw the establishment of the International Board of Lactation Consultant

Examiners, and they were established to create standards in the emerging profession of lactation

consultants. And that board went on to create the first private and voluntary certification for

lactation consultants, and that title of that position was the International Board Certified Lactation

consultant. In the following couple of years, more certifications were established as this field was

growing. We had the certified lactation counselors, advanced lactation consultants, advanced

nurse lactation consultants, and there are plenty of other certifications that have popped up over the following

decades. I think it's important to mention that all of this happened organically. These were,

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