Lactation Matters

Letter to The Lancet highlights ‘aggressive marketing’ by manufacturers of commercial milk formula International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) partnered with five global and regional healthcare professional associations (HCPAs), including midwives, neonatal nurses, breastfeeding medicine specialists, and paediatricians to draft a letter that was published in The Lancet on 9 March that calls for an end […]

by Lisa Mandell, MBA, IBCLC, Global Advocacy Adviser, ILCA On 13 August, I was honored to moderate the opening plenary session at the ILCA 2023 Annual Conference, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It was truly delightful to work with a varied group of expert panelists, which included: Nadrah Arifin, Physician and Lactation Consultant […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

by Lisa Mandell, Global Advocacy Adviser, ILCA In November of 2022, I participated in a series of virtual meetings organized by World Health Organization (WHO) that addressed sponsorships from the baby food industry. Attended by a number of national and international healthcare professional associations (HCPAs), these meetings were an important step in the long process of […]

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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

If you had a way to communicate the role and importance of IBCLCs in a compelling, encouraging one-minute explanation, would you share it far and wide? Now you do! As part of our celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 2021, the International Lactation Consultant Association is re-releasing its video “How a Lactation Consultant Can Help You”, […]

World Breastfeeding Week begins today, 1 August! Interested, but not sure how to get involved?  This post is for you. World Breastfeeding Week has been celebrated every August since 1992. But this year, it has a special importance. As COVID-19 continues to pose enormous challenges across the globe, helping parents provide human milk for their […]

Sunday 1 August through Saturday 7 August is World Breastfeeding Week! Show your support by changing your profile frame on Facebook. How to Add a Profile Frame on Desktop  UPDATE: Skip the steps below and add the frame easily by clicking this link: https://www.facebook.com/profilepicframes/?selected_overlay_id=520314699052088 Navigate to your profile page by clicking your name on top […]

As a lactation professional, you know that successful breastfeeding or chestfeeding rarely happens in isolation. Parents providing human milk to their babies need the support of healthcare providers, partners and extended families, employers, and wider communities to thrive.  Every person a parent contacts forms a link in the chain. The more solid the links, the […]

Data indicates that as many as 10 to 15 percent of lactating parents use some kind of cannabis product while they are breastfeeding or chestfeeding. Chances are, this includes some of the parents you care for. When it comes to the safety of cannabis use during lactation, what do we really know for sure? At […]

The Global Breastfeeding Collective is creating a video highlighting the impact of skilled breastfeeding counselling on mothers’ ability to start breastfeeding, breastfeed exclusively (avoid formula), or keep breastfeeding their babies for as long as they planned or wanted to and we need your help. Research shows that more mothers breastfeed when they receive good breastfeeding […]

As we honor how much has been accomplished in the 40 years since the adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (“the Code”), we must also recognize that our work to enact and enforce the Code is far from complete. Of the 194 countries in the world, only 25 countries have enacted […]

Around the globe, parents’ options and choices about feeding their infants and young children are influenced by an ever-changing patchwork of laws and policies.  Has your work as a lactation professional brought you up close and personal with such a law or policy? And would you like to share what you’ve learned?  If so, you […]

Research tells us that the overwhelming majority of mothers want to breastfeed, but they don’t always reach their breastfeeding goals. Less than half of newborns begin breastfeeding in the first hour of life, and only 44% of infants are exclusively breastfed at six months.1 One of the most significant challenges to improving breastfeeding rates worldwide […]