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Understanding Your Lactation Support Options: From Peer Support to IBCLCs

Categories: Breastfeeding, Postpartum, Pumping
December 31, 2025

Last updated on December 31, 2025

Have you ever been told during pregnancy to get to know your lactation support options before baby arrives? It is great advice! Yet, actually doing so can be very confusing. What type of support is needed? Which lactation providers are “best?” Is care available at home, in person, virtually? And how do resources like WIC or support groups fit in?

Listen – we get it! The best thing is to take it step-by-step, so let’s break it all down.

Types of Providers

The “who is who” in lactation and feeding is the most confusing part of this entire discussion. There are many different types of providers, and who you should work with depends on you, your baby(ies), and your individual needs. Instead of viewing lactation providers as a hierarchy, think of them as a spectrum of support – from community-based help to advanced clinical care.

Lactation support generally falls into three main categories that are built upon each other:

  • Peer Support
    Great for basic questions, encouragement, and community connection. These providers often have personal experience with breast/chest feeding, a strong passion for supporting others, and may have training focused on basic education, support, and resources.

Examples of peer support:

Examples of educators and counselors:

    • BEC – Breastfeeding Educator Certification
    • CBE – Certified Breastfeeding Educator
    • CLE – Certified Lactation Educator
    • CLEC – Certified Lactation Educator
    • LE(C) – Community Lactation Educator
    • BFC – Breastfeeding Counselor
    • CBC – Certified Breastfeeding Counselor
    • CBS– Certified Breastfeeding Specialist
    • CLAAS: Certified Specialist in Advanced Lactation and Safe Infant Feeding
    • CLC– Certified Lactation Counselor
    • CLS – Certified Lactation Specialist
    • IYCFS: Infant and Young Child Feeding Specialist
    • LEC – Lactation Education Counselor
    • MiLC – Military Lactation Counselor
  • Clinical consulting
    Provides expert-level clinical assessment, guidance, and solutions and is great for more complex concerns. IBCLCs complete 95 hours of lactation-specific and communication coursework, 300-1000 hours of clinical experience by supporting lactation, 14 health science courses at an accredited higher education institution, and the IBCLC exam.
    Provider:

You can learn even more about the types of providers here.

  • Do families always need to seek the highest clinical level for basic feeding questions?

No. Most basic feeding education questions can be answered by lactation professionals, such as educators, counselors, or peer support providers.

  • Should families stay on any particular step if they feel they are not receiving adequate care?

No. Families deserve and are always able to change or seek additional care and support if it doesn’t feel right.

  • Should provider choice solely rely on recommendations from a friend or a clinician?

Recommendations are helpful, but they are not the only considerations.

Other Paired Backgrounds

Many providers may also hold non-lactation certifications or licenses, and/or multiple lactation-specific certifications such as: RN, NP, MD/DO, CNM, Dentist, Chiropractor, SLP, LICSW, and more. These will add to what the provider can offer to you about your lactation support.

Important Note: Unless a provider also holds an accompanying certification or license (paired background noted above) that expands their scope of practice, neither a Lactation Counselor nor an IBCLC can:

  • Give medical advice
  • Give a medical diagnosis
  • Prescribe medication
  • Conduct medical treatment

For example, an IBCLC cannot diagnose someone with mastitis or a baby with thrush or a tongue-tie, but can offer anticipatory guidance on how to contact their provider for medical care, as needed. Their role is focused on functional oral assessment, observation of feeding, exploring different causes for feeding issues or concerns, and collaborating with medical providers, as needed. IBCLCs can support families before and after any diagnoses and/or treatments by a medical provider.

Types of Lactation Support

Everyone needs different types of support as they go through the perinatal period: prenatal through postpartum. You may use all these resources below or just one. Many of these are important even if it is not your first pregnancy too! If possible, consider which type(s) of support may apply to you and find out what options you have during pregnancy.

WIC offers peer-to-peer support and education through Peer Counselors, and some states also have IBCLCs available that can provide additional guidance, as needed. You may be eligible if you:

    • Have a nutritional need (WIC staff can help you determine this)
    • Are a new mom, a pregnant or breastfeeding woman, or have a child under 5
    • Have a family income less than WIC guidelines
  • Support Groups

Conversation-style groups offer basic breastfeeding support, answer questions, and create a space to lean on & learn from others in a similar season of life. They are often run by IBCLCs, but may also include breastfeeding educators and/or counselors.

Example: Newborn to 6 months support group held weekly at your local hospital.

  • 1-on-1 Lactation Consultations
    • Typically, 30, 60, or 90 minutes
    • May be over-the-phone, in-person, or virtual
    • Often paid out of pocket, but some can be covered by insurance benefits. To find out what type of benefits you are eligible to receive through your insurance, reach out to your insurance provider directly.
    • Can be offered by IBCLCs or educators/counselors and what support can be offered depends on who the consultation is with (see Types of Providers above).
  • Education classes
    • Can be offered prenatally or postpartum
    • May be in-person or virtual (live or pre-recorded/self-paced)
    • Can be offered as group classes or one-to-one
    • Can be offered by educators, counselors, or consultants (see Types of Providers above)
    • Often paid out of pocket, but some can be covered with insurance benefits. To find out what type of benefits you are eligible to receive through your insurance, reach out to your insurance provider directly.

Locations for Lactation Support

Lactation support can be accessed in a variety of settings, allowing families to choose what feels most comfortable and practical for them.

  • In home
  • Virtual
  • Social media
  • Meeting platforms like Zoom or Teams
    • Some offer texting/messaging
    • Should be HIPAA compliant
  • Hospital-based (immediate postpartum or outpatient support)
  • Private office spaces (IBCLC private practices)
  • Public support spaces (support groups in libraries, community centers)

The Acelleron Example: How Our Team Supports You

Education and support through Acelleron aims to support lactating individuals within our areas of expertise and primarily focuses on lactation and its relation to pumping.

Pump Experts (Peer Support)

Our team members, who are especially enthusiastic about the products we carry, have in-depth knowledge of each breast pump model. They can help with:

  • General product questions
  • Basic troubleshooting
  • Basic use, function, and care
  • Refer up to our CLCs, CBSs, and IBCLCs, as needed

CLCs & CBSs (Education and Counseling)

Many on our team have chosen to further their education by certifying as a CLC or CBS, and some of the topics they can help with include:

  • Basic lactation education and support
  • Pumping schedules
  • Different pumping options (e.g. power pumping)
  • Planning for return to work
  • Refer up to our IBCLCs for higher-level questions or significant concerns for the mother or baby (e.g. weight gain, certain medical diagnosis)

IBCLCs (Clinical Consulting)

Our IBCLCs have completed extensive education, clinical practice, and passed the IBCLC exam. They provide clinical lactation support and collaborate with medical providers when more specialized care is needed.

Acelleron is here to support you along your lactation journey, especially if your journey includes pumping! We recognize the importance of referring families to providers outside of our organization when needed. Patients, families, and providers can feel confident that we always have mom and baby’s best interest at the forefront of all education and support we provide.

Where to Start

Start your search by focusing on what you need.

  • Reassurance? ➝ peer support
  • Education and planning ➝ educator/counselor (CLC, CBS)
  • Clinical-level help? ➝ IBCLC

Your needs may evolve overtime, and your support should evolve with you.

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