Meet Lactation Education Director Angela Lober

For Angela Lober, supporting breastfeeding families is more than a career, it’s her purpose in life.

“Aside from my own family, this work is why I am on the planet,” Lober said. “Helping breastfeeding families is a deep honor.”

Lober, the Lactation Education Program director at Arizona State University, has dedicated the past 15 years of her career to this purpose as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)® and award-winning nurse.

Much of her career has been as a lactation educator, teaching breastfeeding principles to nurses, physicians and dietitians in the Phoenix area, and educating aspiring lactation consultants nationwide through ASU Continuing and Professional Education.

“Lactation education is important because it ensures an evidence-based foundation for clinical practice,” Lober said. “The course is designed to guide evidence-based practice when helping breastfeeding families.”

An emphasis on breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many important health benefits for babies, such as reducing the risk of disease, ensuring healthy weight gain and promoting brain development. As these benefits have come into the spotlight, an increasing number of mothers are breastfeeding their infants.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 83% of mothers in the United States breastfeed their babies after birth. It’s recommended that mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months, but many stop before then, meaning their babies may be missing out on some of the advantages of breastfeeding.

Lactation education for moms and health care professionals has been proven to help increase the duration of breastfeeding and therefore could be an essential part of the effort to help mothers breastfeed for longer.

This is especially true for certified lactation consultants. A recent study found there was a higher rate of breastfeeding through the first six months when moms worked with a certified lactation consultant in addition to other health professionals.

“IBCLC is the professional credential in the field of lactation counseling,” Lober said. “Achieving the IBCLC credential demonstrates the highest level of training.”

Lactation education can help

Lober aims to help health professionals and aspiring lactation consultants master breastfeeding fundamentals through ASU’s Lactation Education Program, so they can better support breastfeeding families.

The course meets the lactation education eligibility criteria for the IBCLC exam and provides continuing nursing education contact hours.

It also gives Lober an opportunity to share her passion for lactation education and research.

“I’m a nerd and love research,” Lober said. “Through this course, I am able to share current research and my own experience from over 15 years in the field.”