About
Gayle Subramaniam
After the birth of my first child and a difficult breastfeeding journey and transition to motherhood I decided I wanted to retrain to support families. I left a corporate profession and trained as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
IBCLC’s are the only internationally certified professional in the clinical management of breastfeeding and human lactation (ILCA, 2011). They have been shown to improve the care of breastfeeding mothers (Haase et al, 2019) and play an important role in correctly identifying breastfeeding issues and underlying causes (Lopez-Bassols et al., 2021).
To qualify to sit the rigorous exam candidates must have extensive clinical experience and lactation education. They must have at least 1,000 clinical hours working with breastfeeding families. They are also usually already accredited as breastfeeding counsellors, midwives or health visitors.
IBCLCs must recertify every five years, in order to prove that their skills and knowledge are up to date. In addition, all IBCLCs are also obliged to work according to the IBLCE Code of Professional Conduct.
I have also volunteered with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and trained with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM).
Professional Memberships
Lactation Consultants of Great Britain (LCGB)
International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)
Safeguarding
I undertake regular safeguarding training and supervision and am Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked.
Other Work
I work with the Merton Health Visiting Team (Central London Community Healthcare Trust) providing lactation support to local families. Our team proudly won the 2023 International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Community-Based Care Award.
I also work with the team at Breastfeeding London and teach on the prestigious Breastfeeding London Course.
I am a Lactation Consultant at Sprint Physiotherapy in Kensington, London, where I provide stand-alone lactation services and work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing support for mastitis, blocked ducts and engorgement.
I am an Associate Fellow with the Centre for Breastfeeding Education and Research and have published several articles in the field of lactation.
I am an Editor with the Journal of Human Lactation (JHL). The official journal for the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA). JHL is an international multi-disciplinary quarterly, peer-reviewed journal.