At ILCA, we believe knowledge guides our practice, strengthens our value, and supports our role in transforming world health.
We seek to provide resources for our members and others who care for breastfeeding families. We offer items for purchase in our Store and also for free download. These materials do not represent the opinions or official position of the association.
GUIDING DOCUMENTS FOR IBCLCs
Standards of Practice for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants®: These guidelines define the tasks and skills the IBCLC® should be able to perform in the course of fulfilling the duties of the profession.
Clinical Competencies for the Practice of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants: These competencies encompass the responsibilities/activities that are part of the IBCLC’s practice. The aim of this document is to inform the public of the field in which IBCLCs can provide safe, competent, and evidence-based care.
Code of Professional Conduct for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants: This code informs both IBCLCs and the public of the minimum standards of acceptable conduct; exemplifies the commitment expected of all holders of the IBCLC credential; provides IBCLCs with a framework for carrying out their essential duties; and serves as a basis for decisions regarding alleged misconduct.
Scope of Practice for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants: Encompasses the activities for which IBCLCs are educated and in which they are authorized to engage. The aim of this Scope of Practice is to protect the public by promoting that all IBCLCs provide safe, competent, and evidence-based care.
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes: These guidelines provide adequate information on appropriate infant feeding and the regulation of the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats. ILCA provides a Summary of the International Code in a number of languages (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Croatian, Japanese, Latvian, Mandarin, Russian) in addition to The International Code and You, which offers a better understanding of how the International Code applies to IBCLCs, and to ILCA.
ILCA Style Guidelines for Written Professional Resources: This document sets standards for commonly used terms in our profession. The guidelines are based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.
POSITION PAPERS
The Role and Impact of the IBCLC: This position paper, released in 2011, is intended for IBCLCs, administrators, policy makers, and members of the public who are interested in the role and impact of the IBCLC within an organization, community, nation, or the world. Additional translations are available in Spanish, Croatian, Japanese, Russian, and Arabic.
PUBLICATIONS
Clinical Guidelines for the Establishment of Exclusive Breastfeeding, 3rd Edition (2014): This evidence-based publication features expected outcomes for mothers and babies, along with 21 specific management strategies to guide clinicians in caring for breastfeeding families. Rationale and extensive research citations accompany the outcomes and strategies. Serves as a great teaching tool and provides strong justification for evidence-based practices. This item is available in the ILCA Store.
Clinician’s Breastfeeding Triage Tool: ILCA’s highly popular reference card offers quick assessment and treatment options for the breastfeeding concerns health professionals are most likely to encounter. This laminated card is a must for staff in mother-baby care units, and other healthcare providers who do not see breastfeeding mothers and babies as often. This item is available in the ILCA Store.
Spanish Breastfeeding Glossary: This laminated sheet provides IBCLCs who are English speakers with words and phrases that might be helpful when working with Spanish-speaking breastfeeding mothers. This item is available in the ILCA Store.
TRANSLATIONS
The Neo-BFHI: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards: Available in Japanese.
Position Paper on the Role and Impact of the IBCLC: Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Croatian, Japanese, and Russian.
Summary of the International Code: Available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Croatian, Japanese, Latvian, Mandarin, and Russian.
Translation Guidelines: The translation of ILCA-generated materials into other languages serves the interests of ILCA members by encouraging cultural diversity and assisting non-English-speaking healthcare providers and breastfeeding mothers. This document also includes the Translation and Reprint Request Form, which is used to grant authorization to outside agencies to translate and reprint specified ILCA published documents.
ADVOCACY
ILCA and WABA Statement for the Commission on the Status of Women: The International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) released the following statement in support of the sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA March 2019.
ILCA Statement on the World Health Assembly Resolution on Infant and Young Child Feeding: All families deserve public health policies designed to improve their health and well-being that are free from corporate interests. This is why the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) calls upon governments to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. This includes holding businesses accountable for misleading marketing practices that unfairly target vulnerable women and children and directly impact breastfeeding.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Neo-BFHI: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative for Neonatal Wards: This page provides resources for those interested in expanding the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to the neonatal setting.
Breastfeeding Advocacy Initiative Statement on the Occasion of the 60th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women: Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development: This report from the annual session of the Commission of the Status of Women provides an important opportunity to review the progress made and gaps remaining in the achievement of women and girls’ full equality and empowerment and the links to sustainable development, including the right to optimal health for mothers and children.
Risks of Not Breastfeeding: This document, published by ILCA in 2011, summarizes the evidence demonstrating breastfeeding as the biological norm and affirms it as a public health priority. Written in easy-to-understand language, it is a must-have resource for all breastfeeding professionals. This document is also available in Spanish.
