Certified Lactation Counselor Exam 2025

Predominant Breastfeeding - -Babies who receive breastmilk and other liquids (e.g. water, minerals, vitamins, oral meds). Breastfeeding - -Baby receives human milk, as well as other foods or fluids, including formula. Complementary Feeding - -Process starts when BM alone or infant formula alone is no longer sufficient to meet nutritional requirements of infants, therefore other foods or liquids are introduced. Typically child is between 6-23 months 3 strategies for increasing BF initiation and duration - -Promotion, Protection, Support Promotion - -Focuses on advantages of BF on a personal, community, country, or global level. BF to the community. Protection - -Focuses on government, manufacturer, and social responsibility to assure BF ability to compete with commercial interests. Includes state, local, an national laws regarding BF. International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Subsitutes - -Addresses improper marketing practices by formula companies. It is not currently a law in the US. What does the International Code Prohibit? - -Distributing free formula Giving coupons for formula What did the AAP resolution state in regards to the International Code? - -No distributing formula, discharge bags, industry written handouts. Support - -Focuses on interaction of helpers with family, as well as program development and implementation. 10 steps to successful BF - -1. Written BF policy. Skin to Skin immediately after birth. 2. Train healthcare staff 3. Inform pregnant women about benefits and management of BF 4. Help all mothers initiate BF within 1 hour after birth 5. Show mother's how to BF and maintain lactation 6. Exclusive breast milk only 7. Practice rooming in 24 hours a day 8. Encourage BF on demand 9. No artificial teats or pacifiers 10. Establishment of BF support groups Lactation Lactation Healthcare staff responsibility for working with lactating mothers include what? - -1. Training 2. Minimum of 20 hours of training 3. 3 hours of competency verification What are the indications for providing supplementation other than breast milk? - -1. Medical condition 2. Parents request after being informed of consequences Protocol for calculating Baby's daily needs - -Baby's weight x 2.5 (2.7 or 3.0 if Baby needs to catch up weight) = daily ounces. PCP decides what the multiplier is!!! What should be assessed 3-5 days after birth by PCP? - -Hydration (elimination patterns) Body weight (no more than 7% loss) Observe Feeding Maternal or infant issues What is a CLC? - -Nationally recognized designation awarded by the ALPP. Practice parameters are designated by professional scope of practice. How many stools per day should a breast fed newborn have? - -4, some yellow by day 4. When should a baby be back to birth weight? - -12-14 days post birth How much weight should a baby gain daily? - -Approximately 1 ounce Why do women supplement with formula when there is no medical need? - -1. Lack of preparation for what the newborn period would be like. 2. Lack of timely interventions Alveoli - -Small glands in the breast that produce milk At-Breast Supplementer - -a device that allows a supplement to be given while a baby is actively nursing at the breast, ex: Supplement Nursing System Atopy - -hypersensitive or allergic state involving an inherited predisposition What is the BFHI Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative - -Initiative by UNICEF and WHO (1991) to support breastfeeding in hospitals and maternity centers. "The 10 Steps". Unicef. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Available online: Lactation Lactation Bilirubin - -an orange-yellow pigment formed in the liver by the breakdown of hemoglobin and excreted in bile. CCK (cholecystokinin) - -Hormone that regulates the emptying of the gallbladder and secretion of enzymes by the pancreas. Colostrum - -Thick, milky fluid secreted by the breast during pregnancy and during the first days after birth before lactation begins. Causes a laxative effect which helps the baby pass meconium. Coryllos type - -Classification system for anklyloglossia (tongue-tie) Dancer Hand Position - -Technique used to support Baby's chin and mother's breast. Use Thumb and index finger under chin, remaining 3 fingers to support breast. Alveolar Cells - -found in the walls of the alveoli, simple squamous epithelial cells, main sites of gas exchange myoepithelial cells - -contract in response to stimulation by sympathetic nervous system and squeeze milk up the duct Montgomery glands - -Bumps on breasts (Look like goosebumps) Produce a unique blend of milk and sebum (skin oil) Modern study of the structure of the breast reveals what? - --Fat is mixed throughout the breast -Uneven spacing of the ducts -3-5 functioning nipple pores (May have 5-9, but not all work) -No lactiferous sinus What are the 2 hormones pathways that control lactation? - -Prolactin and Oxytocin Prolactin (4 details related to milk production) - -1. is triggered by touch (pregnant and non pregnant women). Higher levels when stimulating breast/nipples vs breast alone. 2. Lengthening time between feeding leads to lower baseline levels. (Weaning) 3. levels go down between nursings and rise during nursing. 4. Infrequent nursing leads to lowering of this hormone Average number of feeds in a day? - -8-12 What produces colostrum? - -Progesterone in the receptor sites What produces more mature milk? - -Prolactin in the receptor sites What happened when infants suckled in the first 2 hours of birth? - -Ingested significantly more milk on day 4 Lactation Lactation What happened to mother of preemies who initiated milk expression within 1 hour of birth? - -Had significantly more milk when measured on days 7 and 42. Better to stimulate breasts throughout the day right after birth to continue to stimulate production. Oxytocin - -A hormone released by the posterior pituitary that stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth and milk ejection during breastfeeding. What 3 things can trigger Oxytocin? - -1. Conditioned response 2. Nipple stretching 3. Hand massage Conditioned Response from Milk Ejection (Let down) - --Example- Mother lets down when not near baby, but hears a baby cry. -Conditioned over time -Faster for women who have BF in the past -To condition the response can use any sense-smell, touch, sound Nipple stretching - -Only happens with a proper latch Hand massage: Baby - -When we allow babies to be more hands on they can help control flow rate by how they massage the breast. How many triggers does Oxytocin have? Can it be triggered by stress. - -3 triggers. Yes. What is hormone is triggered by stimulation? - -Prolactin What 3 emotional/behavioral function do the hormones of lactation have besides making milk? - -1. Aggression 2. Protection 3. Bonding/trust What is special about the composition of milk? - -1. Mammal species with higher water content milk feed more frequently. 2. Prolactin triggers production of lactose in the mammary cells. What are the different care patterns of mammalian mother's and their babies? - -1. Nest (eg. puppies, cats) OR cache (deer, rabbit) 2. Carry (monkey), follow (giraffe, bison), or hibernate (bear) What kind of milk has the highest lactose of all mammalian milk? - -Human milk: high in water, low in protein and fat. When does paracellular transport occur? - -1. In the first few days after birth 2. Mother with low prolactin levels Lactation Lactation When are cells not plump? - -During paracellular transport Transcelluar pathway - -Substances must go through the milk cell to enter the milk. Cells are plump and can no longer go around. Why is colostrum easier to suck/swallow - -Because it is thicker and takes longer to express from the breast. What are the 3 stages of milk making? - -1. Secretory Differentiation: Lactogenesis I 2. Secretory Activation: Lactogensis II 3. Lactation: Lactogenesis III What happens during Secretory Activation? Lactogensis II - -Rapid drop in progesterone, mature milk making is activated What happens during Secretory Differentiation? Lactogenesis I - -Cells grow and expand When does breast milk composition change? - -Can occur: 1. Within a feeding 2. Within a day 3. Over course of lactation What happens during Lactation? Lactogensis III - -Mature milk is being made. frequent expression of milk Preterm milk composition is... - -Higher in protein, fat, and electrolytes than mature milk What is foremilk? - -first milk excreted at the beginning of feeding. Does not always mean low fat. What is hindmilk? - -Milk at the end of the feed. Not always higher in fat. When is fat transfer high? - -When oxytocin levels are high. Does a mother need to nurse both breasts in one feed? - -No. Some babies do better on one breast per feeding. Who regulates the fat intake when feeding? - -The baby can regulate his fat intake quickly. When is fat content higher? - -When the flow is faster. Can milk fat be different if the baby is male or female? - -Yes.. Mother's seem to produce milk that is 25% higher in fat content for males. Lactation Lactation galactorrhea - -abnormal discharge of milk. Ex: Men make milk, due to brain tumors or drug side effects (haldol, Thorazine). Reasons why BF protects babies from diarrhea? - -1. pH of the gut is lower. Bifidus factor promotes growth of friendly bacteria which maintains lower pH in the gut. 2. Low iron in the gut. Organisms need iron to survive! Lactoferrin deprives bacteria of iron. 3. Hormones and growth factors stimulate growth, development, and motility of the gut. 4. Antibodies (e.g. Secretory IgA [SIgA] which bind to microbes in the digestive tract and prevent them from being absorbed. 5. WBC kill microbes (e.g. B and T lymphocytes) 6. Cell wall disrupters that kill microbes by destroying the cell walls 7. B12 binding factor. Same result as iron. 8. Mucous also wall protectors which keep bacteria from attaching to the cell wall. 9. Microbes (bacteria from the mother's intestine) from the mother's skin transferred to baby. 10. Absense of exposure to contaminants (e.g. bottle, water, teat) 11. Exposure to mother's immunize system. 12. Cells from the babies mouth go into the mother's breast. Antibodies are made in the breast. Does feeding a baby formula occasionally make a difference? - -Y