Breastfeeding & Health Online Course(s) & Continuing Education
Access the latest clinical skills and research for Breastfeeding & Health for Lactation & Breastfeeding professional training. These Breastfeeding & Health online courses provide practice-changing skills and valuable perspectives from leading global experts. This Breastfeeding & Health education has been accredited for a variety of CEUs / CERPs and can be accessed on-demand, at your own pace.

1000 Days in Gap City: Exploring the Relationship Between the Breastfeeding Gap and the Word Gap

Dia has written and/or edited over a dozen books for adults and children. Her passions in life include promoting the concepts and practices of attachment parenting, breastfeeding and safe infant sleep. She is founder and president of two publishing houses—Platypus Media and Science, Naturally! Their books have won numerous awards and have been translated into Spanish, Dutch, Hebrew, Chinese, Russian, Turkish, French and Korean. Dia has led workshops at healthcare, education and parenting conferences across the country. She is the mother of three adult children and lives in Washington, DC.

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Addressing Pediatric Dental Health Concerns of Breastfeeding Families

Joy MacTavish, MA, IBCLC, RLC, ICCE is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Registered Lactation Consultant. She is the owner of Sound Beginnings, which provides in-home consultations and education on lactation, babywearing, and more. Her background as a birth and postpartum doula, and childbirth, newborn, and parenting educator, inform her compassionate and evidence-based support of new families in the greater Seattle area. Joy holds a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies, graduate certificate in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, and two Bachelors degrees from the University of Washington. She serves as adjunct faculty at the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University where she created the Breastfeeding for Doulas course. Joy is passionate about her family, social justice, and continuing education.
Topic: Full-Term Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding: Benefits, Considerations, and Ways to Offer Support - [View Abstract]
Topic: Mindful Breastfeeding: How Lactation Professionals Can Support Calm and Connection - [View Abstract]
Topic: Sending Reports: What’s in it for IBCLCs? - [View Abstract]
Topic: Supporting Clients Facing Fertility Treatment - [View Abstract]
Topic: Weaning: Supporting Families Stopping Lactation and/or Ending Their Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Relationship - [View Abstract]
Dental caries are the most common chronic infectious disease of early childhood and new recommendations urge families to seek pediatric dental care at a younger age. For families who are practicing full-term breastfeeding and/or nocturnal breastfeeding (night-nursing), many are also reporting increased pressure to night-wean, wean completely, or otherwise incorporate care that is often not practical or evidence-based. A clear understanding of the research and realities of breastfeeding and the risks of dental caries, along with advocacy skills, are integral for breastfeeding families feeling confident in their breastfeeding relationship and their dental care. This presentation will compare the latest research and recommendations from the dental and lactation fields, as well as outline support strategies for assisting lactation clients as they understand the relevant information, communicate with their dental professionals, and make informed decisions about their breastfeeding relationships.

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Anna Le Grange is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Registered Pediatric Nurse, Mindfulness teacher and Author. She has worked with new families for over 20 years in a variety of clinical roles. Anna brings her passion for psychology, neuroscience and mindfulness into her lactation support work and facilitates other professionals to incorporate emotional well-being tools into their own lactation practice.
Mother to 3 children, Anna breastfed her 3rd child following breast reduction surgery and experienced first-hand, the emotional challenges that so often relate to infant feeding complexities. She used her personal experiences alongside mindfulness and lactation knowledge, to create a toolbox of techniques for breastfeeding families, which she includes in her courses and book, The Mindful Breastfeeding Book. Anna believes whole-heartedly in prioritising calm and connection within our breastfeeding support practices, both for our clients and ourselves.
Anna is currently studying for a MSc in Positive Psychology at Buckingham New University and has spoken at various events including the ILactation conference and Womanfest.
Topic: A Mindful Approach to Low Milk Supply - [View Abstract]
Topic: Breast/Chestfeeding After Breast Reduction - [View Abstract]
With breast surgery becoming more common, it's important for professionals to understand how it can affect lactation and the experience of breastfeeding or chestfeeding parents. Both an IBCLC and Mum who breastfed her daughter after having breast reduction surgery, Anna Le Grange talks through the implication of breast reduction surgery on lactation, covering both the physiological and psychological challenges that parents face. As well as sharing the experiences of those who have had breastfed after surgery, Anna introduces practical steps that supporters and professionals can take to help their clients define and strive for their breastfeeding or chestfeeding goals in a gentle and realistic way.

Breastfeeding can't save lives today – or can it?

Dr Virginia Thorley is a pioneer of the breastfeeding movement in Australia. She was the first breastfeeding counsellor in Queensland and in 1985 was in the first cohort in the world to certify IBCLC. In 2008 she was one of the first Fellows of the International Lactation Consultant Association (FILCA). She has two Research Higher Degrees in History (MA and PhD) and her current research interests include influences on mothers' infant-feeding decisions, wet-nursing, milk-sharing and milk banking. Dr Thorley is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of HPRC at the University of Queensland. She is the author of several books and book chapters and most recently was co-editor, with Melissa Vickers, of The 10th Step & Beyond: Mother Support for Breastfeeding. She has presented at conferences on five continents.
Topic: Latch problems arising from mothers' fear response to anticipated pain - [View Abstract]
Surely breastfeeding can't save lives today? What's unsafe about 'formula' feeding in a resource-rich region? These are common beliefs. Breastfeeding provides the infant's entire food needs for the first six months. The protection of life afforded by human milk at any age is important – everywhere. A resource-rich region can suddenly become resource-poor when a natural disaster, extreme weather or major civil upheaval strikes. Factors impacting the artificially-fed infant's food security are:
- dependence on transport of supplies from afar
- dependence on electricity or other fuel for boiling water, cleansing equipment, refrigeration
- dependence on unsafe water for reconstituting powdered 'formula' and hygienic preparation
- lack of support and privacy for mothers to relactate or access donor milk
- donation of 'formula' supplies – undermining breastfeeding
I shall now describe real experiences where breastfeeding saved the day and hypothetical scenarios based on fact.

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Does Breastfeeding Protect Maternal Mental Health? The Role of Oxytocin and Stress

Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Psychological Trauma and was Founding Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation, a position she held for 11 years. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of APA’s Publications and Communications Board.
Topic: Breastfeeding Helps Mothers Overcome the Legacy of Abuse and Adversity: It Makes All the Difference - [View Abstract]
Topic: Burnout, Compassion Fatigue and Self-Care for Members of the Perinatal Team - [View Abstract]
Topic: Burnout, Secondary Trauma, and Moral Injury in Perinatal Care Providers - [View Abstract]
Topic: Does Breastfeeding Protect Maternal Mental Health? The Role of Oxytocin and Stress - [View Abstract]
Topic: Lessons to Learn from Fed Is Best: How Can We Improve Our Care? - [View Abstract]
Topic: Mother-Infant Sleep Location: It's Not as Simple as it Seems - [View Abstract]
Topic: Trauma and Breastfeeding: Working Effectively with Trauma Survivors - [View Abstract]
Topic: What’s New in Postpartum Depression? A Summary of Current Findings - [View Abstract]
Depression research contains many conclusions that appear to contradict each other regarding the role of breastfeeding. For example, breastfeeding lowers the risk of depression, but depression increases the risk that breastfeeding will fail. Moreover, breastfeeding problems increase women's risk of depression. These findings are not as contradictory as they may seem. By understanding the underlying physiological mechanism, we can understand these seemingly paradoxical findings. This presentation will describe the link between the stress and oxytocin systems, and how they relate to both maternal mental health and breastfeeding. When the stress system is upregulated, depression and breastfeeding difficulties follow. Conversely, when oxytocin is upregulated, maternal mental health and breastfeeding rates improve. This talk also includes the role of birth interventions and mother-infant sleep, as well as practical strategies that increase oxytocin.

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Epigenetics and Breastfeeding: The Potential Longterm Impact of Breastmilk

Laurel Wilson, IBCLC, CLE, CCCE, CLD is a TEDx and international speaker, author, pregnancy and lactation expert, and consultant. She served as the Executive Director of Lactation Programs for CAPPA, the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association for 16 years and now is on the Senior Advisor Board. She served on the Board of Directors for the United States Breastfeeding Committee from 2016-2019. She also is on the Advisory Board for InJoy Health. She owns MotherJourney, focusing on training perinatal professionals on integrative and holistic information regarding pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. She has her degree in Maternal Child Health: Lactation Consulting and is an internationally board certified lactation consultant. As the co-author of two books, The Attachment Pregnancy and The Greatest Pregnancy Ever, original Editor of the CAPPA Lactation Educator Manual, and contributing author to Round the Circle: Doulas Talk About Themselves, she loves to blend today’s recent scientific findings with the mind/body/spirit wisdom. Laurel has been joyfully married to her husband for nearly three decades and has two wonderful grown sons, whose difficult births led her on a path towards helping emerging families create positive experiences. She believes that the journey into parenthood is a life-changing rite of passage that should be deeply honored and celebrated.
Topic: Epigenetics and Breastfeeding: The Potential Longterm Impact of Breastmilk - [View Abstract]
Topic: Hold the Phone! Diet Does Matter During Breastfeeding: Implication of Diet on Fatty Acid Composition and Other Nutrients - [View Abstract]
Topic: Postpartum Mood Disorders, Breastfeeding and the Epigenetic Links from Past Into Future - [View Abstract]
Topic: Talk To Me: How Breastmilk Acts as a Communication and Gene Expression Tool Between Mother and Child - [View Abstract]
Topic: The Milk Sharing Conundrum - The Grey Area Between Scope and Need - [View Abstract]
Topic: The Milk Sharing Conundrum - The Grey Area Between Scope and Need - [View Abstract]
Topic: The Placenta and Breastmilk-Unraveling the Mysterious World of the Intelligent Organs that Protect our Babies - [View Abstract]
Topic: Understanding Zika and Lyme and Breastfeeding - [View Abstract]
Topic: Unraveling the Mysteries of Human Milk: The Fascinating Role of Neohormones, Epigenetics, the Microbiome and More! - [View Abstract]
Recent research on epigentics has led medical professionals to query about how the environment impacts the developing baby both in utero and throughout its lifetime. The genome is the genetic information inherited from one's parents, but the epigenome is what determine how the genome is expressed. This deciphering process is effected by both the internal and external environment of an individual, including nutrition. Researchers are discovering that these epigenetic changes can influence not only one but multiple generations. The first nutrition for a human outside the womb is breastmilk, and thus the epigenetic impact of breastfeeding has long reaching potential. Discover the results of some of the latest research in the field of epigenetics and breastmilk - milksharing/wet nursing, breastmilk and epigenetic influence, and changes in gene expression and gut flora.

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