Lactation Consultant

Job Overview

A lactation consultant provides expert guidance on breastfeeding and infant feeding challenges. You're the person new parents turn to when they're struggling with latching, low milk supply, nipple pain, or simply have questions about how to make feeding work for them. In Salt Lake City, UT, this role typically involves working inside hospitals, clinics, or private practices; sometimes splitting time across multiple sites. It's a hands on job where you'll spend most of your day face to face with families, offering support that's equal parts clinical knowledge and real world empathy.

Duties & Responsibilities / JobXi / Salt Lake City, UT

• Private and group consultations: You'll meet with clients one on one to assess feeding issues and create individualized care plans.
• Clinical assessments: Expect to evaluate oral anatomy, suck patterns, and measure infant weight gain. Some cases require making referrals to pediatricians or occupational therapists.
• Creating educational materials: Develop handouts or run small classes covering pumping techniques, returning to work while nursing, or managing common breastfeeding hurdles.
• Charting and documentation: Every interaction gets recorded; you'll update patient records in an electronic health record (EHR) system after each session.
• Calls between appointments: Families often follow up with quick questions about medications or changes in their baby's behavior. You'll handle those between scheduled visits.

Requirements / JobXi / Salt Lake City, UT

• Certification as an IBCLC is almost always required; some employers will hire while you're sitting for the exam if you hold a CLC first.
• A current RN license, RD credential, or related clinical license helps open doors at hospitals but isn't strictly necessary for private practice roles.
• A reliable car and driver's license: Many family visits happen in their homes rather than a clinic setting. In Salt Lake City, UT, having your own transportation makes a big difference.
• The ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally: That includes demo breast pumps, teaching dolls, books, and sometimes carrying portable scales into people's living rooms.
• A calm demeanor during stressful moments: When a tired parent is crying because their newborn isn't gaining weight; you keep it together for them while working through solutions step by step.

What It's Like in This Role / JobXi / Salt Lake City, UT

The pace varies dramatically depending on where you work. Hospital based consultants might see back to back floor consults all morning before catching up on notes during lunch; then get paged emergently mid afternoon for a baby who just delivered. Private practice feels different: longer appointment blocks (upwards of 60 minutes), deeper conversations with each family, but also unpredictable reschedules when babies get colicky or moms hit unexpected complications.You'll use