Only activities completed within the last three years count towards recertification. TIP: If you are due to recertify in December 2023, your credits should have dates in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

All activities must relate to at least one of the Lamaze Competencies. 

Both Standard Credits and Alternate Credits count toward your 25 hours.

• Standard Credit: A class, seminar, webinar, workshop, conference, etc. that you completed with Lamaze or one of our approved providers (maternal health organizations that offer formal education).
   
• If you took a course with an organization not on the approved provider list that you think is relevant, as a general rule, as long as your credits relate to one of the Core Competencies, they will be accepted as credit. Still unsure? Please email the course details to certification@lamaze.org and we would be happy to review the course in question.

TIP!
Look at the certificate from the course you took – a seal of approval from the organization providing the hours is likely on there! (For example, see Lamaze’s seal here.)
 

• Alternate Credit: You can have up to 10 of these! Alternate credit is an experience, or a combination of experiences, that helps you grow your skills as a childbirth educator, but isn’t necessarily an educational course. You can earn alternate credit from a single category of activities or a combination of multiple categories.
  • Examples: birth observation, giving a lecture, attending someone else’s childbirth education class, participating in a Lamaze committee, etc.

Need to earn additional credits? We have options for you!

• Attend Lamaze events in-person or virtually
• Explore the Lamaze Online Education Offerings, including:
  • Webinars
  • JPE Homestudies
  • Learning Modules
  • ...and more!
• Take a Lamaze Specialty Workshop

• Log-in to your Lamaze International account. TIP: Forgot your login information? Email info@lamaze.org to reset your password.
• Follow these step-by-step instructions.

Continuous Presence During Labor and Birth
Earn one hour of alternate credit for each hour of a labor and birth that you are continuously present during. A completed birth observation form must be kept in your records and presented upon request.

Class Observation
Earn one hour of alternate credit by observing another childbirth educator in a class setting.

Education or Certification Committee Service
Earn alternate credit by serving on a Lamaze council or committee (e.g. Education Council). The Lamaze Administrative office will verify service hours.

Publication
Earn up to 10 hours of alternate credit for the first-time publication of a book, book chapter or an article directly related to childbirth education. 
Earn up to five hours for considerably editing or rewriting a publication.

Lecture/Presentation
Earn one hour of alternate credit for each hour of a lecture or presentation that you give at the undergraduate or graduate level. You can also give a presentation at a conference or within a university. All lectures or presentations must be childbirth education-related, and alternate credit will only be awarded for first-time presentations. An outline of the lecture or presentation must be submitted with the alternate credit form.

Credits submitted must be related to the Lamaze Competencies:

1. Promotes the childbearing experience as a normal, natural, and healthy process which profoundly affects women and their families.
2. Assists women and their families to discover and to use strategies to facilitate normal, natural, and healthy pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting.
3. Helps women and their families to understand how complications and interventions influence the normal course of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early postpartum.
4. Provides information and support that encourages attachment between babies and their families. 
5. Assists women and their families to make informed decisions for childbearing.
6. Acts as an advocate to promote, support, and protect natural, safe and healthy birth.
7. Designs, teaches, and evaluates a course in Lamaze preparation that increases a woman’s confidence and ability to give birth.

Acceptable Continuing Education Topics

• Pregnancy, Labor and the Postpartum Period
• Increasing Women’s Confidence in Labor
• Promoting Healthy Birth for Optimal Outcomes
• Promoting, Supporting and Protecting Breastfeeding
• Teaching Adult Learners

Unacceptable Continuing Education Topics

• Neonatal Resuscitation
• Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring
• Menopause
• Breast Cancer
• Health issues NOT directly applicable to pregnancy, labor or the postpartum period

Q: I’ve submitted my application, now what?

The certification team will review your application within three to four weeks. If more than four weeks have passed, we may have tried to reach out to you with a question. Please email certification@lamaze.org to check the status.

TIP: 75% of LCCE educators wait until December to recertify and that high volume can mean a longer review period. Get ahead by submitting yours earlier in the year!

Q: How do I access my updated certification card?

Navigate to the Certification Center in your Member Center Dashboard to see your current certification date and print your updated card. Once in the Certification Center, click “My Account” in the top right corner. TIP: You must enable pop-ups within your browser to allow the certificate to download.

Q: HELP! I’ve already lapsed!

Don’t worry, all LCCE educators are granted a grace period of 12 months in which to complete the process above and restore their credential by submitting 30 total credit hours and a $40 additional late fee.