Certified Lactation Counselors

Answer: Any major can add this minor.

The majors that blend very well with the minor in terms of course work are Nutrition, Public Health and Nursing.

What Do Lactation Educators Do?

Lactation educators (also sometimes called lactation counselors or lactation specialists) provide basic breastfeeding education and support to women and their families.

Lactation Educator's Job Responsibilities:

• Teaching prenatal breastfeeding classes.
• Renting and selling breast pumps.
• Answering calls on breastfeeding information lines.
• Providing one-on-one breastfeeding education to new mothers during their hospital stay.

Education delivered by lactation educators includes:

• Advantages of breastfeeding
• Strategies to overcome common breastfeeding barriers
• The impact of various labor and delivery intervention on breastfeeding success
• How to get breastfeeding off to a good start
• How to maintain milk supply when separated from a baby (i.e., a separation due to illness, stay in the NICU, return to work or school, or brief separation)
• Where to access breastfeeding resources locally

Lactation educators also make referrals appropriately when concerns are beyond their scope of practice (i.e., to a lactation consultant, pediatrician, doctor).

• Hospitals
• Medical groups
• Woman Infant and Child (WIC) programs
• Breastfeeding stores

• Visit the University Transfer Center to find out what courses you need to transfer to CSUN to earn a minor in Human Lactation and a BS in Nutrition, Public Health or Nursing.

45-minute appointments are available via zoom, phone, or in person Appointments can be scheduled on Starfish Connect Or call 805-289-6448 to ask for an appointment.

• If you need help with your Anatomy, Biology or Chemistry classes – tutoring is available!

Email: vctutoring@vcccd.edu

Phone: 805-289-6026

1. Attend the Nutrition and Human Lactation Transfer Workshop
2. Attend Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) orientation
3. Be sure you’ve declared your Major of: B.S Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics
4. Meet with Minor in Human Lactation Advisor & Declare Minor in Human Lactation 
5. Access your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to make sure your classes transferred from VC to CSUN
6. Join student clubs, including the Student Dietetic and Food Science Association (SDFSA)
   • You can do this now! Highly recommended!
7. Don’t forget to take additional courses beyond Nutrition and Human Lactation to graduate
   • Upper Division General Education (UDGE) courses
     • 9 units (3 classes) in total
   • Any remaining GE courses  
8. Meet with Nutrition major and Human Lactation minor advisor each semester to ensure you are on track to graduate