June 2023 update: The Georgia Supreme Court just put a fork in it. The law on 31 May 2023 was declared unconstitutional and will be thrown out. Full decision here. March 2022 update: This law has been ruled unconstitutional Update to the legal saga: The Georgia State Supreme Court’s *unanimous* decision in May 2020 (keeping… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Liz Brooks, IBCLC
Step. Away. From. The. Mini-Consult.
Step. Away. From. The. Mini-Consult. I say it so much to my IBCLC colleagues on social media that I was gifted this case from a wonderful private practitioner. It goes something like this. Parent calls you, or texts you (a whole ‘nother problem; see my take on that here), and wonders if they can “Just… Continue Reading
To LLC or not to LLC? That is the IBCLC private practitioner’s question.
If you are just starting out, you can wait a bit to see what form of business seems to “call” to you as a private practice International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). One-person shop? Partnership? Find employment with a physician practice? Please do have your professional liability insurance lined up; conduct yourself with excellence every… Continue Reading
My comments: IBLCE’s proposed revisions to IBCLC Scope of Practice and Clinical Competencies
IBLCE sought public comment (closing 28 Jan 2018) on its proposed revisions to the Scope of Practice (SOP) for IBCLCs, and the companion practice-guiding document the Clinical Competencies (CC) for IBCLCs. I combed through them both line-by-line, and for the nit-picking curious, you can see that analysis below. The 3500-character limit on comments required tweet-like… Continue Reading
What’s in your Pandora’s-box-of-an-IBCLC home-visiting bag?
Facebook in its mysterious wisdom has re-surfaced a thread that appeared several years ago. Private practice IBCLCs were discussing what items they routinely carry in their home visit bags, so they’d have at-their-fingertips whatever might be required for the family being seen. Great discussion! And then … there was the suggestion that a well-prepared IBCLC… Continue Reading
ABM Milk Sharing Position Statement: Instead of Just Say No, Just Ask How
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine issued in Jan 2018 another one of their generally excellent position papers, this one on cooperative infant feeding arrangements (a.k.a. “informal milk sharing”). This one is a great addition to the growing body of research about the importance of human milk use, and the need to increase accessibility to it for… Continue Reading
Ally, Accomplice, or Simply Annoying? Resources for White Folks to Understand and Dismantle Racism
It’s happening again. Another social media thread exposing how pervasive inherent structural racism is, especially in the USA, and how it sabotages good individual and public health. Particularly in the field of parent-child health. (For an eyeful on this, explore the investigative journalism series from ProPublica and NPR on maternal death rates in pregnancy and childbirth.)… Continue Reading
Governance Geeks sit up! IBLCE By-laws Revised Sept 2017
I made long posts in August 2017 both on my Facebook Biz page, and the Lactnet listserv, about my concerns over proposed changes to the IBLCE By-laws. IBLCE had a brief period in August 2017, in which they solicited public comments. As an governance geek and IBCLC certificant, I duly submitted my concerns and suggestions through… Continue Reading
My HIPAA templates are the wave of your past.
Back in the day, I created a small package of privacy documents and business-related forms for use by the IBCLC private practitioner. So “back-in-the-day” I sold them on CDs that I burned myself. My forms were and are proprietary … meaning I enjoy and safeguard all copyright protections, which still attach. I am NOT selling the templates… Continue Reading
Thin Ice Ahead! Offering Lactation Help on Social Media and Cell Phones
Another ask, from another IBCLC. I get a lot of these, too. Goes something like this: “Can I help a parent on a Facebook Group, who voluntarily described their situation, sharing all sorts of personal health information (PHI)? They started the convo; can’t I jump in?” Um, no. Regardless of whether the patient/client voluntarily shares… Continue Reading