Lactation Education for Healthcare Professionals
This program is for you if you are a …
 Individual who wants basic preparation for becoming a board-certified lactation
consultant
 IBCLC requiring CERPS or exam preparation for re-certification
 Maternity or pediatric nurse working with families with small babies
 Obstetrician, midwife, pediatrician or family medicine physician involved with
the daily feeding and parenting issues of new families
 Childbirth educator
 Labor and postpartum doula
 WIC clinic staff member
 Facilitator of early parenting education
 Social worker, Early Headstart staff
 La Leche League leader who wants updates and new scientific resources
 Public health nurse or staff person working with new families
 Occupational or respiratory therapist working with breastfeeding newborns
 Registered Dietician working with pregnant women, new mothers and their babies
Course Description
This in-depth course enables participants to provide accurate, current and consistent
information about breastfeeding and lactation and support new families in feeding their
babies from birth through the process of weaning. Each participant will be given the
knowledge to work with other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care for the
breastfeeding mother and her infant(s).
In addition, each participant will:
 practice taking a multiple choice exam in lactation
 present and learn from written projects and oral case studies
 begin preparation for the certification exam to become an IBCLC
(International Board Certified Lactation Consultant).
 receive a certificate, stating completion of the Lactation Educator Track at
conclusion of course
All areas of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners exam grid are
included, and the course content is based on current scientific research as it applies to
“best practice” issues in the clinical setting.
Day One Objectives and Agenda
8am – 5pm
At the end of this session you are able to:
1. List two ways to provide effective breastfeeding promotion.
2. Describe two things to look for in a prenatal breastfeeding risk assessment.
3. Describe in simple terms the internal structures of the breast.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
List two birthing routines that may influence breastfeeding success.
Discuss the rationale of skin to skin care for mother and baby
Describe the basic elements of correct positioning and latch.
Discuss early breastfeeding patterns of term newborns.
Describe to a mother how her breasts make milk.
Describe the primary effects of prolactin and oxytocin on milk production
Introductions and overview of course
Commitment to Breastfeeding
Making breastfeeding an expectation
Communicating without a turnoff
Honest education, expectations
Looking at “culture”
Respect for human biology
Respect for women and their bodies
Breastfeeding promotion to teen moms
What is concerning
Why the teenager feels good about breastfeeding
External & Internal Anatomy of the Breast
Prenatal breast assessment
Prenatal treatment of flat and inverted nipples
Identifying potential problems during prenatal care
Research on milk storage capacity
Where and how milk is made
Getting Breastfeeding Started
Evaluating birth practices
Labor routines
Medications
Newborn recovery
Care that makes sense for good breastfeeding outcomes
Setting the stage
Literature review of skin to skin care and breastfeeding responses
Postpartum practices and infant outcomes
Making feeding a priority while ensuring infant and maternal safety
Influence of infant biology on early feedings
Positioning and latching babies at the breast
Basis for successful breastfeeding
Anatomy of infant suck
LATCH score practice
Early Breastfeeding Expectations
Normal Patterns and predictable hurdles of early breastfeeding
How much sleepiness is normal
How often to feed
One or two breasts?
Stooling and urination in first few days
The Science Behind Milk Production
Influence of early care on maternal hormonal response
Prolactin
Stress reduction in pregnancy
Relationship to milk production
Oxytocin – the most potent of female hormones
Maternal responses
Cholecystokinin and other GI hormones
Previously unknown role in milk production
“Tend & Befriend”
Relationship to perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms
Lactogenesis
When milk “comes in”
How our care influences milk supply
On-going milk production
Day Two Objectives and Agenda
8am – 6:30pm
At the end of this session you are able to:
10. Discuss the importance of professional certification.
11. List three benefits of human milk for human infants
12. List two possible consequences of supplementing babies with breastmilk
substitutes.
13. List two marketing tactics used by the commercial baby food industries.
14. Identify the special needs of babies born at 34-38 weeks gestation.
15. Describe the process for evaluating a baby who is having difficulty with latch and
positioning.
16. Explain causes, symptoms and treatments for two breast conditions (Sore nipples,
engorgement) encountered by breastfeeding mothers.
17. List two key points for effective communication with the BF mother.
Questions and Answers on Initials, Titles, Credentials, Certification
What is an IBCLC
Value in certification and how to do it
Supporting your professional organization - ILCA
Confusion of unofficial titles and initials
Meaning of the Lactation Educator Track
The Wonders of Human Milk
Human milk and the immune system
Species-specificity of mammal milks
Confirmed benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby
Outcomes of Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding
Components of human milk
Comparisons of human milk/cow milk/goat milk
World-wide Influence of Formula Marketing
Marketing tactics
Healthcare professionals as marketing agents
Community education
Pseudoscience used in marketing
International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
Caring for the family that needs to or chooses to formula feed
Near Term/Late Preterm
Innovative care
Preventing problems
Evaluating hospital practices
Guidelines for feeding
Early Clinical Challenges in Breastfeeding
Baby won’t/can’t latch
Craniofacial problems
Oral assessment
What to look for
Nipple pain
Engorgement
Communicating Effectively With New Mothers
Listening skills
Frequently encountered case studies
"Mothers choice"/”other’s choice” vs. "Best Practice"
Preserving breastfeeding
Day Three Objectives and Agenda
8am – 6:30pm
At the end of this session you are able to:
18. List two important things that parents should assess about their baby in the first
week post partum.
19. Provide helpful information regarding maternal nutrition
20. Discuss the qualities of a good breast pump.
21. Discuss 3 practical tips about the use of feeding devices.
22. List at least three possible causes of poor maternal milk production.
23. List at least three possible causes of inadequate intake in exclusively breastfed
infants.
Maternal Nutrition & Breastfeeding
Healthy nutrition for family health, not just breastfeeding
Does a mother’s diet affect the quality of her milk
Eating disorders
Infant allergy, food intolerances
After the First Three Days
What parents need to know early post partum
How would I know if I am in trouble?
How would I know if my baby is in trouble?
Culture vs. biology
Nesting vs. carrying
Feeding frequency, Clock watching
Crying babies
Tools and Techniques of the Trade
Breast pumps
Alternative feeding methods
Nipple shields
Nipple care products
Hand expression
Insufficient Milk - Intake and/or Supply
Milk volume expectations
Weight loss and gain in first week
Maternal causes of poor milk supply
Infant causes of poor intake
Assessment and treatment
Developing a feeding plan
When breastfeeding doesn’t work
Day Four Objectives and Agenda
8am – 5pm
At the end of this session you are able to:
24. Explain how ineffective breastfeeding can lead to hyperbilirubinemia.
25. Discuss legal considerations when assisting breastfeeding families.
26. Identify developmental milestones for infants three to six months of age.
27. List one cultural message about infant sleep that makes parenting more
complicated and difficult.
28. Discuss treatments for inflammatory problems (Yeast, mastitis, plugged ducts) of
the breast.
29. Discuss helpful approaches in positioning multiple babies for breastfeeding.
30. Describe one thing to enhance breastfeeding success for the mother of a
premature infant.
31. Provide three suggestions for increasing a mother’s milk supply.
32. Discuss the potential impact of breastfeeding on family relationships.
33. Identify characteristics in postpartum women that suggest this time is one of grief
as well as joy.
Hyperbilirubinemia
Causes and treatment
Professional roles in caring for these babies
Liability with Infant Feeding
What can get me in trouble?
Working as a professional
Get the chip off our shoulders
Normal Breastfeeding Patterns and Predictable Hurdles from Three to Six Months
Growth and development
Parenting issues and cultural conflicts
Human sleep and infant biology
On-going Breastfeeding Challenges
Fungal overgrowth
Infant thrush
Yeast of nipples, areola, ducts
Is it really yeast?
Mastitis
Inflammatory vs. infectious
Abscess
Plugged ducts
Breastfeeding Multiples
Breastfeeding the Premature
Positioning more than one baby
Differences in care for preterm vs. late preterm vs. near term
Phases of feeding progression for preterm infant
Obstacles and challenges
Pharmocologic galactogogues
Breastfeeding & Families
Partners and breastfeeding babies
Partners and postpartum women
Postpartum adaptation, mood disorders, depression and breastfeeding
Day Five Objectives and Agenda
7:30am – 5pm
LUNCH is a “working” lunch with exam review & final question time
At the end of this session you are able to:
34. Name one resource for answering questions about drugs during lactation.
35. Describe some of the challenges of breastfeeding and working outside the home.
36. Identify unanswered questions about human lactation and breastfeeding.
37. Discuss the research that demonstrates breastfeeding success when hospitals
implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
38. Identify typical developmental milestones of infants beyond the first six months.
39. Suggest helpful ways for families to start feeding babies solid foods after
exclusive breastfeeding.
40. Discuss support for women who breastfeed past the cultural norm.
Medications and Breastfeeding
Evaluation and counseling
Common questions
Alcohol and tobacco
Environmental contaminants
Drugs of abuse
Herbs, naturopathic, homeopathic substances
Resources
Breastfeeding and Working Outside the Home
Myths about work and continuing to breastfeed
Looking at the good and bad of working outside the home
Practical suggestions for dealing with the challenges
Unfinished Questions
Opportunity to ask last questions about breastfeeding
Does it all make a difference?
Learning to be “Baby Friendly”
What happens when hospitals implement Baby Friendly practices
Breastfeeding after Six Months
Influence of normal growth and development on baby’s behavior
Eating beyond exclusive breastmilk
Biological weaning from the breast
Patterns of breastfeeding, 6 months and beyond
When and how breastfeeding ends
Helping families deal with cultural and professional attitudes
Evaluation of Course
The Lactation Educator Track is no longer optional. All participants
will complete the entire course, including the requirements for the
Lactation Educator.
Education Credits for five-day course
In 2007, IBLCE and nursing credentialing organizations calculate CERPs or continuing
education credits on a 60 minute hour, rather than the previous 50 minute hour. The
following CERPs reflect that change.
IBLCE 46 total CERPs (44 L CERPs, 2 E CERPs)
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing Provider No. CEP
14127 for 46 contact hours
CDR (Commission on Dietetic Registration) 46 CPE hours, Category II

The six-day course presented by the Seattle Midwifery School is the same content as
the five-day course and provides the same number of education credits.