About » National Lactation Consultant Alliance

NLCA was created to support the holders of the IBCLC^® credential and to advocate for the clinical lactation consultant profession at the local, state, and national levels.

As a still young profession, lactation consultants have made positive strides toward being accepted as qualified healthcare professionals and integrated into the healthcare team. However, the IBCLC^® is not consistently recognized as a reimbursable provider by Medicaid and private insurers which limits access to IBCLC^® care by families in communities with low resources. This disparity in care places infants and parents at risk for poor health outcomes. NLCA aims to change this disparity in access to clinical lactation care through its work to:

Secure public and private insurance reimbursement for the IBCLC^®
Ensure placement of the IBCLC^® at the federal and state legislative and policy tables
Elevate the profession as one that is recognized by the healthcare system as a licensed clinical healthcare provider
Advocate for the inclusion of the IBCLC^® in publications, recommendations, laws, policies, and regulations of healthcare organizations, as well as state and federal agencies.

We are current and former Board Members of ILCA^®, USLCA, IBLCE^®, HMBANA, Baby-Friendly USA, and many state breastfeeding coalitions. We are current and former editors of the journal “Clinical Lactation” and authors of numerous journal manuscripts and textbooks. We are attorneys, APNs, RNs, dietitians, university faculty members, and LLL leaders, and we are all holders of IBCLC^® certification.