by Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC, Global Advocacy Adviser, ILCA As the Global Advocacy Adviser for International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®), I had the honor and privilege of attending the Global Congress on the Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in Geneva, Switzerland, 20-22 June 2023, on behalf of our association. This informative and inspiring meeting was attended by more than 400 delegates from over 100 countries, all of whom gathered to learn more about,  develop plans for, and make commitments to the implementation of the Code ..read more

by Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC and Tova Ovits, BA, IBCLC The USA launch of the Lancet Series on Breastfeeding took place 18 April 2023 in New York, New York, USA, and was attended by representatives of the International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®), including Tova Ovits, BA, IBCLC, secretary of the ILCA Board of Directors, and Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC, ILCA’s Global Advocacy Adviser. ILCA Executive Director Jenn Kasowicz, MA, attended the launch virtually. Ellen Chetwynd, PhD, MPH, BSN, IBCLC, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Human Lactation, was also in attendance. The purpose ..read more

International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) recently sat down with Hannah Rice, MPH, IBCLC, Chair of the 2023 Conference Program Task Force (CPTF) for a behind-the-scenes look at program-planning for the ILCA 2023 Annual Conference, taking place 13-15 August 2023 at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. With a number of innovative and thought-provoking sessions planned for this year, we wanted to give the lactation community a sneak peek of just some of what can be expected at this year’s conference before full session details are made a ..read more

by Lisa Mandell, ILCA Global Advocacy Advisor and Zoe Faulkner, ILCA Board of Directors The Lancet published a powerful 2023 Series on Breastfeeding during an in-person event held 8 February 2023 in London, United Kingdom. International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) Board Member Zoe Faulkner, who is also Chair of Lactation Consultants of Great Britain, attended the in-person launch and shared, “It was a real privilege to be in person at an event that was being live-streamed internationally. There was an incredible atmosphere in the room, with a sense of hope and excitement that the ..read more

You’re a lactation professional working with families to help solve breastfeeding/chestfeeding problems. Why should you care about something called the Codex Alimentarius Commission? Your focus may be to help families reach their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals. Think about some of the things that get in the way of that – poor information and advice from other health professionals and from families and friends, physiological challenges, and most certainly easy availability and heavy promotion of breastmilk substitutes. When breastmilk substitutes need to be used, you want to be sure that the ..read more

You know that oxytocin and prolactin are critical to lactation outcomes. But how direct is the relationship? If you knew a parents’ oxytocin and prolactin levels following birth, could you make predictions about how soon their milk would come in, their baby’s milk transfer, or even their baby’s weight gain? This is the question Elise Erickson, PhD, CNM, and colleagues wanted to answer with their 2020 pilot study published in the Journal of Human Lactation. And Erickson et al wanted to go one step further. They wanted to know whether it was possible to connect certain parental variables with h ..read more

“Skilled breastfeeding counselling meant that breastfeeding could remain a choice for me and my baby.”  “Having skilled breastfeeding counselling completely changed my mental state. It was transformative.” “Without it, I probably would have just given up and never breastfed ever again.” These are direct quotes from parents, shared in a new video released during the webinar Building Better Breastfeeding Counselling Programmes: New tools for implementation. As a lactation professional, you know the importance of skilled lactation care to families. However, you also know that access to care ..read more

How can you stay up-to-date on changes at BFHI, learn the history of the lactation field, and take in new approaches about the language we use when we talk about breastfeeding and chestfeeding care? By staying up-to-date with the Journal of Human Lactation (JHL).  Now through the end of the month, the following articles are available open access. Please share widely with your colleagues who may not be ILCA members, and so may not be able to take advantage of all that JHL has to offer. Marie-Elise Kayser (1885-1950): Pioneer of Milk Banking. Florian Steger, PhD, Oxana Kosenko, PhD. Watch ..read more

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