New York Lactation
Consultant Association

• Services
  • Prenatal Classes
  • Breastfeeding Groups
  • Office Visits
  • Home Visits
  • Human Donor Milk
• Credentials
  • Lactation
  • Education
  • Health Care

• Membership
• Become a Member
• List Services
• Internships
• Publications

• Members
• Executive Board
• Coordinators
• Liaisons
• Committees
• Standards
  • Bill of Rights
  • Terms of Agreement
  • Complaints

Information For Parents

Whether you are expecting or already have one or more babies, our website lists local providers and a variety of services that they offer in the New York Metropolitan Area. The New York Lactation Consultant Association (NYLCA) strives for accountability by setting standards for providers who are listed on our website. We have also listed many of the credentials held by our members if you aren't familiar with some of the letters after their names.

New York State has developed a Breastfeeding Mothers' Bill of Rights. Babies are protected from discrimination when they breastfeed because legislation protects their mothers' rights to:

• feed them in public
• express milk for them at work

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Breastfeeding Report Card for 2010 acknowledges that most mothers want to breastfeed and do give it a try. Neverthless, women may not be getting the help they need to continue for the recommended duration. Among other measures, the CDC suggests that "A strong statewide group of professional breastfeeding experts (IBCLCs) is needed to assist the mother-infant pair, create and administer lactation programs, and educate other health professionals about breastfeeding."

If you happen to be a grandparent, helping your son or daughter with your new grandchild (or grandchildren) we congratulate you and thank you for your interest in breastfeeding. The New York State Department of Health considers grandparents so important that they have included a grandmother in their new breastfeeding campaign.

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Check out what the New York Times has to say about one of our "Breast Whisperers" in Brooklyn and about how hospital lactation consultants work with diverse population of mothers in Queens.

If you work with breastfeeding families, find out what we have to offer providers of breastfeeding care.

Parent Advisories

Issue 1: The FDA has put out warnings about a milk thickener known as Simply Thick. If you are feeding this to your baby, please read the advisory about this may be dangerous for early babies and share this with your baby's practitioner.

Issue 2: The CDC announced that clinicians should use the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts to assess the growth of infants up to age 2. These charts are based on breastfeeding as the normal standard for growth for all infants.

Issue 3: The September 2010 recall of 5 million cans of formula was anxiety provoking for parents who fed formula to their babies. If you feed your baby some formula, check the Food and Drug Administration's latest information on formula recalls and make sure to check expiration dates as well. If you need help to reduce your use of formula, feel free to check out our services.

Issue 4: Some companies that market formula also market "feeding experts" that they claim are "lactation consultants". The term "lactation consultant" is not trademarked. Anyone can claim to be a lactation consultant. No one can claim to be an International "Board Certified" Lactation Consultant without meeting the rigorous criteria of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). NYLCA has verified that all the lactation consultants on this website are cerified by the IBLCE as of January 2011. Furthermore, NYLCA reinforces the IBLCE requirement to follow the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes by requiring any service provider on this website follow this code. Following this Code ensures that recommendations are based on your baby's needs, not on the need to sell a product.