Acknowledging that breast milk is the optimal food for an infant but knowing that it is not always what’s best for the individuals involved, a Certified (or pre-certified) Infant Feeding Specialist also acknowledges that the first rule of infant feeding is feed the baby.
The role of the Infant Feeding Specialist is to work with families to develop individualized infant feeding goals and strategies and to assist in their support and implementation.
With specialized training and education, the Infant Feeding Specialist is qualified to provide infant feeding education and support in the following ways:
- Without bias or judgment
- From an evidence-based perspective
An Infant Feeding Specialist refrains from the following:
- May not give medical advice
- May not administer medication
- May not interfere with medical advice or treatment given by medical professionals/International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC)
The following are the expectations of an Infant Feeding Specialist:
- To be an ongoing source of information, support, and referrals for the families engaging in this service
- To cultivate community-based relationships that facilitate vetted referral networks
- To assist families in the intermediary times until the family can be seen by an IBCLC or the baby’s medical care provider
Professionally, an Infant Feeding Specialist respects the roles of all other support professionals that the client may engage with and works in a complementary way towards achieving the client’s goals and wishes.