You’ve probably heard about IBCLCs and want to find a directory or a list of some sort on the currently active IBCLC here in the Philippines.
But first..
What is an IBCLC?
IBCLC stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
IBCLCs are either health professionals or lay breastfeeding advocates and supporters who have:
- Finished a 95 hour Lactation Specific Education, including 5 hours focused on communication. [1]
- Completed 1,000 clinical hours
- Passed the IBCLC exam
NOTE:
You don’t have to be a doctor, nurse, midwife, dentist (or other health care professionals) to become an IBCLC. But if you’re NOT a health professional, you must obtain Health Sciences Education.
Simply put, an IBCLC is the gold standard in lactation support providers.
Of course, you don’t always need an IBCLC.
Sometimes, you just need help with latch and positioning.
In that case, anyone trained with breastfeeding can help you, namely:
- peer counselors (from breastfeeding support groups)
- LMT/LMET-trained staff in Mother-Baby Hospitals/Facilities in the Philippines (this is based on the 20-hour staff lactation training mandated by the WHO for the BFHI Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative).
- nurses, midwife and doctors who are breastfeeding advocates
The MAIN difference between them and IBCLCs is that IBCLCs can handle complex breastfeeding issues like:
- engorgement
- mastitis
- cracked nipples
- tethered oral tissues (tongue tie)
- breastfeeding with cleft lip or palate
- IGT
- relactation
- low milk supply
How many IBCLCs in the Philippines?
When I looked for current IBCLC statistics around the world, I was surprised..
There 37,262 IBCLCs around the world.. [2]
But there are only 28 active IBCLCs in the Philippines!
Yes, only 28.
And most of them are located in Metro Manila (NCR).
So I set out to find a list of IBCLCs in the Philippines.
But it’s no easy task.
Usually, you get a “Find an IBCLC” directory in each country’s lactation consultant association. Kinda like how you can browse through USLCA (United States Lactation Consultants’ Association) through their directory.
But, sadly, we don’t have an LC association here in the Philippines.
I tried ILCA (International Lactation Consultants Association). But they only have 1 IBCLC in the Philippines listed in their directory.
So I ended compiling my own list.
I spent 20+ hours finding and verifying this list.
And so far, I’ve found 20 out of the 28 current Philippines-based IBCLCs.
My Methodology
Here’s how I compiled my own list of IBCLCs in the Philippines:
- Google Search
- Physician search – since IBCLCs here in the Philippines are mostly doctors/physicians, I use sites like NowServing.ph and SeriousMD to find lactation consultants
- Facebook Search – I searched previous Breastfeeding Congress and other breastfeeding conferences and events. Then I look at the speaker names and check if they’re an IBCLC.
- After finding a name, I verify if they are current and active International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant using the Public IBCLC Certification Registry.
List of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants in the Philippines
Here’s a screenshot of the Google Sheet directory where I compiled a list of IBCLCs.
You can check it out here – you’re free to add a comment on the Sheets file.
If you know a Philippines-based IBCLC who is not on the list, please let me know by leaving a comment below or send me an email.
References:
- IBCLC Commission (2023). Choosing a pathway to the IBCLC. https://ibclc-commission.org/choosing-a-pathway-to-the-ibclc/
- IBCLE (2024). Current Statistics on Worldwide IBCLCs. https://iblce.org/about-iblce/current-statistics-on-worldwide-ibclcs/