Free IBCLC Certification Exam Question and Answers

Question 1

According to study, how long must breastfeeding last to reduce the incidence of SIDS by 50%?

Accepted Answer

2 months or more

Answer

1 month or more

Answer

3 months or more

Answer

The first 3 days of life

Question 2

In three weeks, the woman the lactation consultant is seeing will resume her full-time employment. Which of the following pertains to a going-to-work consultation is most crucial?

Accepted Answer

Flange fitting, education on optimal breast pump selection, and education on  breast pump use

Answer

How to write an accommodations request letter to her supervisor

Answer

Setting a pumping schedule for every 2 hours while at work

Answer

Night weaning so the mother can sleep before work

Question 3

The hospital maternity practices are asked to consult with the lactation consultant on a new policy and procedure document for staffing the newborn nursery. The following day is the first policy formulation meeting. Which of the following tasks should the lactation consultant conduct first in order to get ready for the meeting?

Accepted Answer

Create a reference list of scientific articles related to avoiding separation of the mother-infant dyad

Answer

Create a slide presentation to educate the policymakers on physiological nursing

Answer

Create a reference list of scientific articles related to how birth interventions affect lactation

Answer

Read the hospital's current policies and procedures for maternity care

Question 4

A home visit from the lactation consultant is requested due to feeding issues. Because the mom was unaware that she was pregnant until after the birth, the birth history does not mention any prenatal care. She claims that she went to the emergency room and gave birth to her child, who weighed 5 lb 7 oz at birth, after feeling unwell and in pain for two days. She claims that after spending 48 hours in the maternity ward, she was released from the hospital. Her baby is 4 days old today, has subcostal and intercostal retractions, and his complexion is mottled and pale. He did wake up during the consultation to nurse. What suggestion would be most suitable?

Accepted Answer

Go to the emergency room immediately or call emergency services

Answer

Hand express or pump, and provide volume to the infant to see if he wakes up to nurse

Answer

Call the pediatrician the next day for an appointment

Answer

Initiate pumping and bottle-feeding 1-2 oz every 3 hours

Question 5

In a lactation clinic, a lactation mentee is measuring test weights to establish milk transfer at the breast. The baby is first given a diaper change, stripped of her clothing (but a bow stays in her hair), and weighed at 3,746 g. Following another diaper change, the mother nurses the baby on the first side before seeing that the baby's bow has fallen out of her hair and into the floor. The mentee then weighs the infant again while she is only wearing her diaper, and she sets the bow that was previously in the baby's hair next to the infant on the scale. Despite objective indicators of milk transfer during the meal, the post-feeding weight of 3,742 g shows that the newborn did not transfer any milk. What erred on the mentee's part?

Accepted Answer

She should have made sure that the infant was not changed into a clean diaper before the post-feeding weight

Answer

She should not have paced the bow on the scale for the post-feeding weight

Answer

She should have removed the bow before the initial weigh

Answer

She should have weight the infant in her clothes

Question 6

A mother claims that she only breastfeeds three to four times per day. She speaks of experiencing severe grief, disgust, and nausea at the beginning of breastfeeding sessions when asked what the obstacles are to nursing on demand. She claims that her partner saw her crying while she was breastfeeding and advised she quit, which made her feel even more depressed, and she does not want to stop. What kind of lactation intervention would be most effective in helping this mother enhance her breastfeeding?

Accepted Answer

Deep breathing at the beginning of every nursing session

Answer

Switching to exclusive pumping

Answer

Spending some time alone every day

Answer

A referral to mental health services

Question 7

The lactation consultant receives a confidential report from a NICU nurse about one of her patients who was born preterm and had fetal exposure to drugs. The infant appears to experience more apneic episodes after being fed her mother's breast milk and fewer apneic episodes following a few days of artificial baby formula feedings, according to the author, who also reports that the mother occasionally brings in pumped breast milk. What is the lactation consultant supposed to do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the neonatologist to order laboratory testing of either the infant's urine and/or the mother's breast milk for metabolites of illegal substance

Answer

Ask the NICU nurse if she has an unconscious bias against breast milk due to personal experience

Answer

Ask the neonatologist to increase the infant's dose of caffeine citrate

Answer

Speak with the mother, and tell her that she can no longer provide breast milk to her infant