Calendar

2006

September 6, 2006
Deadline for Lactation Consultant Hall of Excellence Nominations

ILCA Bookstore

New in the Bookstore!

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)’s recently revised Best Practice for Expressing, Storing and Handling Human Milk, priced $41 plus shipping.

2006 ILCA Conference Syllabi:
Clinical Day ($8.00)
Professional Development Day ($9.00)
Main Conference syllabus is sold out.

Syllabi are also available for the 2004 and 2005 conference, as well as selected prior years.

Books on the ‘Code’

• Selling Out Mothers and Babies
• Protecting Infant Health
• ILCA’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, What It Means for Mothers and Babies World-wide (available as a manuscript or as an Independent Study Module worth 4 E-CERPs)
• Mother and Child Health – Common Sense, Creativity and Care: Selected Works of Dr. Cicely D. Williams.
  

Practice Notes

‘A Cornucopia of Breastfeeding Tips and Benefits’

Tucked away on the Resource Room page of the ILCA website is this little gem, A Cornucopia of Breastfeeding Tips and Benefits ready to print out and distribute to new mothers. It is sure to create a smile as its veggie slogans get the message across.

This handout is especially suited to pre-natal classes and postpartum support groups. Print it out in color if possible. Check the Resource Room often. It is a treasure trove of useful materials!

Breastfeeding Handouts in English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese

High quality handouts for new mothers are freely available in many languages at http://www.massbfc.org/parents/ , the website of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition in the U.S. Look for Making Milk is Easy, available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian and It's My Birthday - Give me a Hug (on skin to skin contact), available in English, Spanish and Italian, and featuring an appealing photograph of a newborn with his arm draped around a breast.

Member Spotlight

Jean Whittaker in Malawi

Jean Whittaker with the baby of one of her village mothers.

ILCA’s Member Spotlight falls this month on Jean Whittaker, the only IBCLC – and ILCA member - in Malawi. Jean works as a missionary and director of nursing with mothers and babies in local villages, in one of the hardest hit AIDS areas. She receives no salary. The spotlight also falls on ILCA’s affiliate in Ohio, USA which began ‘sistering’ Jean when, after maintaining her ILCA membership for many years, she was unable to renew last year for financial reasons. [more]

Education

Academic Curriculum

A forum of educators met in Philadelphia, USA during the 2006 ILCA conference to begin exploring a model for an academic curriculum that can be used in universities and other institutions. The Professional Development Committee (PDC) will continue the work that was begun at the conference. Anyone with experience or interest in developing structured clinical experience for aspiring IBCLCs is invited to contact the PDC Chair, Linda Kutner at lakutner@aol.com.

New Conference Study Modules

Sessions from the 2006 Conference will be developed as Independent Study Modules which are an ideal continuing education opportunity for those who could not attend the conference. [more]

Career Mart

Looking for a job? Search the listings for IBCLCs in ILCA's Career Mart where several positions are currently advertised. Let your Human Resources department know that Career Mart is the place to reach thousands of IBCLCs.

2006 Theme: Code Watch: 25 Years of Protecting Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding advocates gather outside New York subway station to begin the annual Breastfeeding Caravan between Manhattan and Brooklyn	Promoting breastfeeding on the New York subway : ILCA member Margot Mann holding grandson Henry (left) with Dr Susan Vierczhalek, American Academy of Pediatrics (right)
World Breastfeeding Week celebrations were held across the globe from August 1-7. In New York, congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and pediatrician Dr Susan Vierczhalek, chair of the NY Breastfeeding Section 3 of the American Academy of Pediatrics joined breastfeeding advocates on a subway ride between Manhattan and Brooklyn in the 3rd annual subway ‘Breastfeeding Caravan’

2006 ILCA Conference in Philadelphia USA

Enthusiastic attendees - more than 900 from 19 countries - voted the 2006 ILCA Conference the best yet, with more standing ovations than any previous ILCA conference. [click here for full report and additional photos]

ILCA applauds the 2006 Conference Program Committee, chaired by Judi Lauwers, for this year's impressive conference program. Thanks also to the scores of volunteers without whom a conference of this magnitude could not take place. Most conference sessions were taped and are available from ILCA's official taping company, Repeat Performance. If you were unable to attend, here are some highlights. [more]

Do We Need a Second Credential? ILCA Board of Directors says No!

The annual ILCA conference is a rare face-to-face venue for IBCLCs from all over the world. As ILCA members, it is an opportunity to engage in energetic, intelligent debate on matters that affect us as working professionals. But harnessing this energy should also be productive, with a means to collect and condense the sentiments of ILCA members, to further guide the decision-making of the ILCA Board.

With this in mind, the ILCA Board inaugurated an Issues Forum at the 2006 Conference. The very “hot topic” chosen for presentation this year was: the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners’ (IBLCE) announced plans to pursue creation of a second credential, for those providing breastfeeding support. (The IBLCE is the credentialing organization that conducts the exam allowing one to earn the IBCLC credential. It is a separate and distinct organization from ILCA.) [more]

‘Ban the Bags’ Campaign Launched to Curb Formula Company Marketing in U.S. Hospitals

To cheering crowds and immense public support at the 2006 ILCA Conference, the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition announced a national campaign to limit formula company marketing by hospitals in the United States. Spearheaded by Marsha Walker and Anne Merewood, the ‘Ban the Bags’ campaign
will help hospitals stop distributing formula company discharge bags to new mothers on maternity units. [more]

Breastfeeding Figures Rise in the United Kingdom

The UK Department of Health’s National Infant Feeding Survey has found dramatic increases in breastfeeding for the first time across the UK. The Survey shows that 76% of mothers initiated breastfeeding in 2005 compared with 69% in 2000. [more]

Lactation Consultant Hall of Excellence Nominations

The inaugural Lactation Consultant Hall of Excellence program was launched at the 2006 ILCA Conference. This peer-nominated recognition program, sponsored by Medela Inc., was created to acknowledge the hard work and best practices of lactation consultants in the United States. Deadline for 2006 nominations is September 6. [more]

New Database on Drugs and Lactation

LactMed, a free online database with information on drugs and
lactation, is one of the newest additions to the United States National Library of Medicine's (NLM) TOXNET system, a web-based collection of resources covering toxicology, chemical safety, and environmental health. [more]

WABA Seedgrant Applications Due August 25th

Applications are invited for the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Seedgrant project, Community Support for Breastfeeding. The project aims to establish or strengthen community support worldwide for breastfeeding protection, promotion and support. Deadline for applications is August 25, 2006 with full information at www.waba.org.my.

Journal of Human Lactation Needs Book Reviewers

Read the latest publications in the lactation field and get your review published in the Journal of Human Lactation. Here’s how to do it! [more]

Professional Development Committee and ILEAC

New members are needed for the Professional Development Committee and for the International Lactation Education and Accreditation Council (ILEAC). [more]

Nominations Committee

Are you well connected to IBCLCs around the world? Would you be willing to serve on the Nominations Committee? [more]