Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple? Nancy and Barbara discuss this important topic and how their new book group, Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple, can help make you an expert on this topic. Here are just five topics that will be covered in depth during the book group! Yes, it is possible to support working parents in achieving their infant …

Exclusive pumping? Why would some one do this? Barbara and Nancy discuss the latest research on exclusive pumping. They look at who is exclusive pumping and why. This has shifted in the past 2o years or so. It used to be that the majority of exclusive pumpers were pumping for their preterm babies while they go mature enough to directly nurse. Not t…

Are you looking to become an IBCLC and are having trouble finding clinical hours? Let Nancy and Barbara help! Deciding on which PATHWAY The 3 exam eligibility pathways are open to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Each person must decide which pathway will work best for them. For more info, go here: https://ibclc-commission.org/step-1-prep…

Barbara takes the time to sit down with her LactaLearning co-founder, Nancy Mohrbacher to discuss her journey in the field of lactation. Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA fell in love with breastfeeding while nursing her three sons, Carl, Peter, and Ben, who are now grown. In 1982, before the lactation profession existed, she began working as a volunt…

From Barbara Robertson: Barbara spent some time with Dr. Kathy Kendall-Tackett. She is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women’s health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett was the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation and is still the E…

Nancy and Barbara are celebrating that LactaLearning, Inc is now 3 years old! It is hard to believe that what started out as a dream for Barbara has evolved with Nancy into a thriving business. This podcast shares how Barbara and Nancy became colleagues over forming a book group with Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition in 2020 (now offered as a self…

Kimberly Seals Allers’ words, “I’m a femtech founder, writer, speaker and maternal and infant health strategist with a bold vision to transform the experience of motherhood for all and to eradicate racial disparities in birth and breastfeeding.” Kimberly is someone who sees an issue and works on solutions! She gets things done! Barbara was lucky to…

In this episode Nancy and Barbara discuss the latest findings on relacation and induced lactation. According to University of Western Australia’s LactaPedia, an online comprehensive glossary of human lactation terms freely available to professionals and parents (https://lactapedia.com/lactapedia-site/homee), relactation is defined as the re-establi…

Barbara first meet Kay Hoover at her favorite conference, Lactation Consultants in Private Practice about 18 years ago. Kay and her dear friend Chris Mulford, created the conference to help private practice folks improve their skills. Kay has been in the field for years, in many different roles, working in private practice, at the hospital, and in …

Wanting to get to know some of her favorite mentors who are the leaders in the field of lactation, Barbara Robertson is creating a series of podcasts to share with all of you! The first is with Dr. Anne Eglash. Barbara did an interview with Dr. English in 2015 about pain that is published here. Since that time Barbara became an advid fan of IABLE, …

What’s the deal with lipase? There was a recent paper published called Food-Derived Compounds Extend the Shelf Life of Human Milk. Nancy and Barbara found this very interesting and discuss the merits of the findings from this paper, what we actually know about lipase and human milk, and what should we be doing about lipase, if anything. They had ma…

How to become an IBCLC…. The answer to this is not as simple as we would hope! In this podcast Nancy and Barbara answer some of the most common questions people ask about how to become an IBCLC. Below is a description of the process. You can also join us for our monthly “How to become an IBCLC” Zoom meeting on Monday, August 25 at 7 PM ET. Email ba…

What’s the deal with infant growth spurts? The fact is we aren’t sure. One theory is that the babies are growing faster so needed more calories. The idea is the babies ate more frequently because they needed more food! However, a recent 2024 systematic lit review shows that this is most likely not true. It is true that there are times when babies d…

Nancy and Barbara discuss a new article that came out in 2024. The study was a large study (20,000 women) in Canada and it looked at the length of breastfeeding, overall years/months of breastfeeding and the onset of menopause. Breastfeeding and women are the terms used in the study so we will be using them here and in the podcast to reflect accura…

The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor (BFCAA) has been operating for more than 15 years!! To celebrate this milestone Jessica and special guest Barb, the original co-host of the podcast, interviewed Barbara on the journey of starting, building, and growing the Center. From Barbara: “I opened the center in 2008 as a place for all of families’ nursin…

Barbara has been honored to work with many families over the past 20 years but Jamie and Nikki were some of her favorites. Barbara worked with Nikki when she had the family’s first baby a few years ago. The commitment to nursing was powerful! After a few bumps, things went really well. Fast forward and it was Jamie’s turn to carry the new baby for …

Barbara and Nancy discuss the ABM 2022 Mastitis Protocol. Both Nancy and Barbara feel this Protocol is a step in the right direction! However, we don’t agree with everything and you can see others feel the same way. Listen and find out! The ABM (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine) Mastitis #36 Protoco replaces Protocols #4, #20, and Engorgement Prot…

Breastfeeding during emergencies used to be a topic about something that was happening somewhere else to someone else. However, now with the rise in tragedies that are happening everywhere in the world, breastfeeding during emergencies affects all of us. We know these emergency situations are increasing and will continue to do so as time goes by. T…

In this episode, Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher review recommendations and outcomes of parental leave policies around the world. Paid parental leave varies by country, but the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has issued a new position statement for maternity leave guidelines, recommending at least 6 months of paid leave. Nancy and Ba…

In this parent interview episode, we focus on Emily‘s experience with returning to work and breastfeeding, specifically going back to work after maternity leave, pumping and continuing to breastfeed her baby. She worked as a hospital pharmacist in a fast-paced and high-pressure role, the type of job where taking a “break” to pump meant leaving extr…

We have another parent interview episode! We were thrilled when Alicia reached out to us from across the country to offer to share different parts of her feeding journey with baby Grant, especially factors related to returning to work and breastfeeding. We discussed Grant’s week-long nursing strike soon after Alicia returned to work, the intense em…

Jaundice and Hypoglycemia Did you know there are new guidelines for diagnosing and treating jaundice and infant hypoglycemia? In this episode, Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher discuss updates to the clinical practice guidelines for safe bilirubin levels and when babies might need intervention. Nancy and Barbara review why bilirubin levels are…

How important are our communication skills as lactation professionals for our families’ success? This episode is all about the power of words as lactation supporters to boost or undermine our nursing families self efficacy. Barbara and Jessica discuss how the social emotional state of breast/chestfeeding families plays a huge role in the postpartum…

Lots of families are using formula to feed their babies, either partially or fully, short-term or long-term. But there’s not a lot of info shared with parents on how to feed formula in the healthiest way. In today’s episode, we share some guidelines and ideas on bottle feeding techniques, appropriate amounts based on age and baby’s size, preparing …

Breastfeeding/chestfeeding should not be painful! Ongoing and significant breastfeeding pain is a sign that something is wrong. Unfortunately, Julie‘s feeding journey was full of pain for the first few months! She was in a lot of discomfort both while the baby was feeding, later in between feeds and throughout the day as well. It turned out this wa…

This is part two of Tara’s breastfeeding story! This one got really long, so we made it into two parts. That’s what happens when Jessica’s best friend is the guest. They just kept going! Tara‘s original vision was to exclusively breastfeed Evie for at least a year. But as she says, even though these were her “best laid plans,” the reality ended up …

This one got really long, so we made it into two parts! That’s what happens when Jessica’s best friend is the guest. They just kept going! Tara‘s original vision was to exclusively breastfeed Evie for at least a year. But as she says, even though these were her “best laid plans,” the reality ended up quite different. She struggled with low milk sup…

This one is so special! Liz shares her journey of growing her family via a gestational surrogate, and how she induced lactation to bring in her own milk supply! Jessica hosted, and said “beautiful” and “oh my gosh” more times than you can count throughout this amazing story of strength, support, and love for baby Eve and Liz‘s family. (Apologies th…

New Mastitis protocol? Yes, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine has added a new protocol, #36, the Mastitis Protocol. Actually, it is updated but the ideas in it are so revolutionary, it may as well be new! Dr. Katrina Mitchell was a major force behind these changes. She had noticed in her clinic as a Breastfeeding Medicine Doctor, that parents w…

Sarah’s breastfeeding story Sometimes it is so nice to just hear a positive breastfeeding story! We tend to hear more about the how things went wrong instead of right. Sarah is lucky enough to have a lot of family support and access to lactation help when she needed it, so guess what? She reached her infant feeding goals! This doesn’t mean that her…

Barbara is joined by Nancy Mohrbacher to talk about education, particularly about professional lactation education. In the field of education, the traditional method of lecture and Power Point stills dominates the trainings that are available. Research has show over and over again that this is one of the most non-effective ways to help people learn…

My work is extremely important to me and is a perfect fit for all of my beliefs and my personality. To me, what we do here at the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor is to help families either become more attached to their babies (hopefully through breastfeeding but sometimes this isn’t possible) and also help professionals learn how to best help fam…

Used with permission from USBC Yes! Yes! Yes! We say birth and postpartum doulas are the front line defenders of breastfeeding along with nurses and midwives! I believe that the explosion of doulas in Detroit, MI is one of main reasons for this incredibly, too long time in coming change: “According to Michigan Department of Health and Human Service…

In 2020 Nancy Mohrbacher published her latest book, Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition. We jokingly call this book BA2 and it is one of the most important books in the field of lactation. I was honored that Nancy was willing to co-host a professional book group with me. I had hosted two other book groups before, Making More Milk, 2nd Edition with L…

So sorry for the delays in podcasts! COVID has done a real number on me and I have been struggling to get tasks done that are not critical. Jessica and I are committed to recording and releasing more often! Thank you for your patience. Barbara Back in May 2022 I got this email: “I don’t expect you to remember, but 2 years ago we corresponded about …

Breastfeeding twins? Yes! Sometimes you feel like breastfeeding one baby is almost impossible but then you have TWO babies! Anna shares her story about how she is successfully breastfeeding her twins. It was not easy but also achievable with the right help and support. When you have babies who are early, even a little bit, it can make the process h…

Becoming an IBCLC is not easy! Many people are surprised to find out that to becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) is hard. You need 8 college courses, 6 continuing education courses, 300-1000 clinical hours working with breastfeeding families, a 90 hour professional lactation course, and THEN you can qualify to tak…

What is hand expression? Great question! Basically it means getting breastmilk out of a lactation breast without a baby or a breast pump. At The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor, hand expression is a typical tool we review with most of our families because you never know when you might get caught with no baby, no pump, and a full breast! Literally…

Breastfeeding book groups? What on earth do I mean by breastfeeding book groups? So, fall of 2019 I had just finished helping Lisa Marasco with some final edits of her and Diana West’ new edition of Making More Milk, 2nd Edition. The holidays were coming and I ordered a copy of the book for each of my interns. I thought to myself, we should read th…

OMG. It has been too long! Karen and I recorded this back in June but due to Covid I haven’t been able to get this to move to the top of my list to publish. Thank Jessica for pushing me (in the nicest way) to keep after this and get it done! We love breastfeeding stories. Karen’s is very interesting because she is actually part of the health care s…

Barbara Robertson chats with Nancy Mohrbacher about her new edition of Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition and their upcoming project. Do you want to unlock the secrets of Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition? Barbara D. Robertson will be joined by Nancy Mohrbacher, the author of the book, to discuss their upcoming venture and break this down for you.…

Oversupply? Too much breastmilk? Is that really a problem? The answer is, YES, oversupply is a big problem for people who are struggling with this. Milk everywhere, choking babies, are there answers? For sure! Listen to this podcast to get more information. Symptoms: Baby choking Baby clucking at the beginning of feed (when the milk is flowing fast…

Another breastfeeding story! This one is particularly dear to Barbara’s heart. Melissa came to see Barbara after the birth of her first baby and was struggling with her rate of breastmilk production. Although Melissa was able to increase her supply a bit, she still needed to supplement her baby. Second baby When Melissa was pregnant with her second…

Here are our COVID updates! Barbara accidently published the unedited version of this podcast! Here is the edited version. Sorry! Jessica COVID updates Jessica is at home with her two your children trying not to miss a beat while being a full time parent and having her and her partner continue to work full time. This sadly, is a common theme. Altho…

A conversation with Laurel Wilson IBCLC! Yes, we were lucky enough that Laurel Wilson IBCLC reached out to us to do a podcast. We have been big fans of Laurel for a number of years. I attended a talk to hers in Grand Rapids a number of years ago and was hooked! Don’t know Laurel Wilson IBCLC yet? Laurel has the site Mother Journey. “Tens of thousan…

What is your breastfeeding support network? Who do you need in this team? Partners Partners are a critical player in your breastfeeding support network. A partner can make or break a breastfeeding relationship. Not necessarily because they don’t support breastfeeding but if you are struggling with breastfeeding, this struggle can be hard to watch i…

A new breastfeeding story! Lauren is a very experienced breastfeeding mother. She joins us today with baby Luke today to talk about her breastfeeding story. She has nursed four children! When you have more than one child it is important to remember that each breastfeeding experience will be different. Each breastfeeding journey is a unique journey.…

Caleb not latching? Oh no! We continue Jessica’s breastfeeding story. Please don’t worry, it has a happy ending! We ended with Jessica in the pit of despair and Caleb not latching. Even with all the support and knowledge that Jessica has, she is ready for the final hoop to become an IBCLC, taking the exam, she really struggles with what her instinc…

Jessica’s second breastfeeding story is a doozy! When we have our second baby we think, well this has to be easier than the first time. Right? In Jessica’s case this was not true! Her breastfeeding story is powerful! Yes, those baby worries weren’t there (you rarely worry that you might accidentally kill your second baby like you do your first), yo…

New Breast Pumps? What are these new pumps? Jessica and Barbara are going to talk about two types of relatively new pumps that are on the market now. We wanted to make sure that these pumps were reliable before we gave our thoughts. In the pump market that takes 2-3 years! The first few thousand families who buy these pumps are essentially paying f…