It’s nice to see you here!
If you’re new, welcome. This is a positive and friendly space where you’ll find inspiration, connection, and resources for your pursuit of lactation confidence and knowledge.
If you’ve been around, I’m so grateful for your support.
I’m Christine, and I write and record this Substack and podcast myself.
(I could use some help with some things, but that’s probably a story for another day!)
I have been working in lactation care since 2001 and have been an IBCLC since 2009.
I recently re-certified as an IBCLC for the third time. This was my first time using the IBCLC Commission’s new process and recertification requirements, so I learned a lot about how to prepare for them.
If you’re interested in me sharing more about my re-certification process, let me know here!
I entered this field from a breastfeeding support group background, and I believe in the power of group/peer lactation support as a foundational part of breastfeeding knowledge.
I’m working on some resources for you on group support, how to integrate observing group support while you’re preparing for the IBCLC exam (especially if you’re on Pathway 1), and why I believe group support can be life-changing.
I am very well-versed in the process of becoming an IBCLC, our Professional Standards, the Code of Professional Conduct, and the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the WHO Code.)
I spend a lot of time reading, re-reading, reviewing, and applying these documents to real-life situations. I often share what I learn through this Substack and in speaking presentations for various organizations.
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The ten years I spent working in the hospital were also foundational to my training and skillset as an IBCLC.
In a perfect world, I believe every IBCLC would have experience working (or volunteering) in group/peer breastfeeding support, hospital postpartum, and in a clinic or private practice scenario.
In the real world, we don’t all get every single kind of experience.
But with a thoughtful and intentional approach, we can incorporate elements of each into our preparation journeys and integrate this concept into the mentoring we provide for future and aspiring lactation consultants.
What I experienced in the hospital, alongside the tremendous sense of reward and appreciation that comes with helping others, was a growing sense of frustration that though I felt knowledgeable and prepared to provide skilled lactation care, sometimes I could not get the most important messages across to my patients or my hospital co-workers.
So, I took what I learned from working in labor and delivery, postpartum, and the NICU, integrated it with what I knew from working in the outpatient, community, and group support settings, and developed a novel strategy for supporting the dyad.
You may have heard me mention The First 100 Hours somewhere along the way.
Let’s get into the details.
I believe that every new parent deserves to get high-quality lactation care from someone who fullyunderstands the physiology of breastfeeding.
Using the First 100 Hours lens and language has allowed me to explain better, evaluate dyads better, and create lactation management plans with my clients and patients that actually help them to meet & exceed their goals.
This course is for every IBCLC, every perinatalprofessional, and every person who is interested in fully understanding the importance of breastfeeding and human milk, especially in the first 100 hours of life.
Over the past 11 years, I’ve taught versions of this strategy to many audiences, and it was received so well.
Here in 2024, I wanted to expand it and build a robust course that could be accessed online and used by anyone who has contact with people during the pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum spaces of life.
Holistic Lactation Care in the First 100 Hours: A Masterclass in Early Lactation Care is a comprehensive and focused approach to understanding how best to teach about and support (both clinically and practically) the earliest days of breastfeeding.
Through the relatively narrow lens of The First 100 Hours of life, we can also see the many elements of how human lactation is established, what needs to happen in the surrounding environment, and what information everyone needs to know about it.
The course examines this critical but small sliver of time and takes into account a multitude of factors impacting the dyad as a whole.
Sometimes, people say to me, “But I already support breastfeeding!”
Wonderful! Thank you. Your work matters.
You’re working hard to support breastfeeding in all the ways you have been taught in the past.
Yet, you still sometimes feel frustrated and ineffective when you think about how hard it is for so many new families to get breastfeeding off to a good start.
This training course is designed to offer you a transformation: the knowledge AND the competency-based mindset required to support expectant and new parents in the First 100 Hours of their baby’s life.
Here’s what I know is true: Educating, supporting, and caring for the postpartum dyad is easier when we adopt a mindset of simplicity.
That’s exactly what this training sets up for you and, ultimately, for your clients when you use it.
If you like the idea of feeling more confident and leaving behind the sense that you are “missing something” in your work with pregnant, birthing, and postpartum patients/clients, learn more about the course here. ⬇️
* You can earn 8 CERPs for this course.
* The short videos make it easier to take in all the information.
* You can listen to the audio on your favorite podcast player if you prefer to learn that way.
* You can download a whole workbook of forms to use as you apply The First 100 Hours approach to your work.
* The course cost is $197
* If you need an invoice so that your employer or organization can pay for you to learn, just email me at [email protected], and I’ll take care of that for you.
If you have any other questions at all, please reach out anytime.
Thank you again for everything you do to support breastfeeding - every single action makes a difference for our future!
* Additionally, I am actively seeking a partner to assist me with accrediting this course for continuing education for registered nurses. If you know of anyone who can help, please reach out! I appreciate it.
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