As a long-time IBCLC and LLL Leader, this scenario simply turns my stomach! I am appalled! There is no consideration of the women’s privacy or emotional needs. This sort of consultation should absolutely be done privately. If a mom’s individual anatomy *potentially* may create some challenges, then she can be gently informed, then the IBCLC should shut up and listen to the mom’s reactions and concerns. The next step, obviously, would be to suggest several things a mother can DO about it. With breastfeeding, there are never any absolutes. Some moms with “perfect” nipples and breasts can have difficulties. Other moms, who “objectively” have flat or inverted or wide nipples, may have no problems at all.
Breastfeeding is an art!

Oh. My. God!

How humiliating!

I think I might have just blanked out for a minute. They had to remove their shirts??? How humiliating!

I’d like to smack that LC with my massively prominent mammaries, but I’d give myself whiplash.

O.M.G.

Seriously? In this day and age?

WOAH! She’s a nurse AND she’s psychic?

Huh???? The women actually submitted to this??? How absolutely humliating and unprofessional, not to mention the false diagnoses. Where did that LC get her credentials, from a Cracker Jack box?

OMG! I’d love her to explain to my three year old and 10 month old how they can’t nurse on my size H/I breasts with flat nipples (my only problem was overactive letdown and stupid LCs that didn’t teach me to do a C-hold but tried to teach me to nurse hands-free, which isn’t comfortable to me and is impossible with a newborn and my nipple positions and a baby with a terrible latch because she loved sucking in her upper lip–5 lactation professionals couldn’t fix her latch or the clicking, but the clicking was never a problem).

I hope you reported her.

It is extremely improbable to look at a woman’s breasts and say “You can’t nurse because…” or “Oh, nursing will be easy for you!” and be right (beyond self-fulfilling prophesy, of course). I was so terrified of nursing, but luckily I went to LLL while pregnant and had a good leader who wasn’t an idiot who told me I’d be fine and I’d figure it out as I did it, like everyone else had to and to just come in/call if I had any issues at all.

And like the mother (and her breasts!) are the only factor! I’ve heard too many stories from women who nursed their first baby (or babies) with no problems, but then had trouble with their next. Or who had trouble feeding their first, but their second was a natural….