What Is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)?

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a professional qualification for giving breastfeeding support and advice to mothers and babies. On Honeysuckle Cafe, Clare Meynell describes the role as "someone who is professionally qualified to provide support and advice to mothers and babies," and notes that the international qualification must be recertified every five years so that consultants stay current with evidence-based practice. If you are looking for skilled breastfeeding help, an IBCLC is the credential to look for — though the right fit also depends on the consultant's experience and how they work with you.

What the IBCLC credential means

The IBCLC is an international certification rather than a local licence. Its defining features, as described on Honeysuckle Cafe:

• It is a professional qualification specifically for supporting mothers and babies with breastfeeding.
• It requires recertification every 5 years, which the site frames as a way of ensuring consultants use up-to-date, evidence-based practice.
• It sits alongside, but is distinct from, other health qualifications — a consultant may also be a nurse, midwife, or peer supporter.

Because the credential is international, it signals a common standard of knowledge regardless of where the consultant practises.

What an IBCLC can help with

The scope is broader than feeding mechanics alone. On Honeysuckle Cafe, Clare lists the kinds of conversations and support she offers:

• Ante-natal preparation and birth plans
• Tongue tie diagnosis
• Post-natal support
• Anxiety reassurance
• Baby sleep reality

The site also frames breastfeeding as "humanly normal and so much more than just food," and notes that most women want to breastfeed but commonly face barriers. An IBCLC's role is to accompany and support you through those barriers in whatever way you need.

Clare Meynell's qualifications and experience

Clare Meynell runs Honeysuckle Cafe and holds the IBCLC credential. According to the site, her background includes:

She also states that she is insured and that any information shared with her is strictly confidential. Beyond one-to-one support, she describes attending the first international breastfeeding conference, which set her vision — with three colleagues — on improving UK policies that support families, especially mothers, using the WBTi assessment tool; the first report was published in 2016.

Why the recertification requirement matters to you

A five-year recertification cycle means the advice you receive should reflect current evidence rather than practice frozen at the point of initial certification. For a parent, this is a reasonable proxy for quality: it indicates the consultant is expected to keep learning. It does not, on its own, tell you how a particular consultant communicates or whether their approach suits your situation — which is why the site's emphasis on sitting beside you and talking through your needs is worth weighing alongside the credential.

How to decide if this is the right support for you

• If you want a formally credentialed consultant: the IBCLC designation is the key marker, and Clare has held it for over 20 years.
• If you value clinical background: her registered midwife and state registered nurse history, plus 20+ years as an integrated midwife, means hospital-based postnatal experience informs her support.
• If you want peer-level empathy as well as clinical expertise: she is a La Leche League Peer Support Trainer and describes having overcome her own challenges across three breastfeeding experiences.
• If your concern is specific — tongue tie, sleep, anxiety, or antenatal planning — check that the consultant covers it; Clare's listed services include all of these.

The site's testimonials and "Get in touch" section are the natural next step if you want to ask about availability or whether your particular concern is something she works with.