Our Journey to Opening a Milk Bank Depot
By Shannon Lucas Nearly 30 years ago, the Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition was created with a simple mission: to decrease infant mortality. We began working with local families to meet their needs, expanding programs, and doing all we could to ensure every baby...
The Way Forward
By Christine Staricka, BS, IBCLC, RLC, CE, FILCA I see you. I know how hard you are working right now. The U.S. formula shortage/crisis/availability problem is rivaling the early pandemic days for the “most intense timeframe for lactation care providers” award. It’s...
Emotional Support as an IBCLC®
By Debra Brender, BS Nutrition, RN, IBCLC One evening I came home from a day working at the hospital and said to my husband, “I have the hardest job in the world,” to which he replied, “No, you don’t, think about coal miners.” Ok, so he has a point. However, when I...
Ashley and Emmet’s Breastfeeding Journey
By Ashley Weber, PhD, RN, RNC-NIC Last year the Journal of Human Lactation published a case study titled, “Realigning Expectations with Reality: A Case Study on Maternal Mental Health During a Difficult Breastfeeding Journey.” Below is the story of the “30 yr G1P1...
Autism and Lactation: Top 5 Things You Need to Know as a Lactation Consultant
By Genny Stiller C-PNP, IBCLC, CNLS It’s Autism Acceptance Month! Let’s discuss how to demonstrate autism acceptance inside of your lactation practice. We’re not going to talk about how to increase awareness of autism, because I think you’re already aware of it. It’s...
Human Milk Analysis: What’s normal?
By Laura Serke RD, CSPCC, LD, IBCLC Did you know March is National Nutrition Month? What a great time to talk about human milk! With the recent FDA approval for human milk analyzers, we will be hearing more about the nutritional content in human milk. As lactation...
Let’s Build a New Pathway
By Tiek Johnson I am a doula, so I undoubtedly think highly of the work doulas do. Growing up in a large family, I’m pretty sure I’ve been a doula for the majority of my life, but I unofficially stepped into the role in 2016 and officially trained in 2019. I define a...
Culturally Appropriate Doula Care
The importance of culturally appropriate doula support when birthing in dominant culture establishments By Dominique Gallo, IBCLC, RLC These days, birthing in the hospital is “normal.” When a family gets the news that they are pregnant, most go to see an OB or midwife...
Reaffirmed commitment to inclusivity
Dear Colleagues, Almost a year ago I shared with you USLCA’s affirmation of our continued commitment to inclusivity, especially the use of inclusive language where and when possible. On a personal note, some of the responses we’ve received have been incredibly...
4 Ways Expecting & New Parents Can Focus on Improving Heart Health
By Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG February is recognized as American Heart Month to bring awareness to maintaining cardiovascular health. Heart health can be affected by so many aspects of a person’s life from diet to even caring for loved ones, so this month helps...
