I’ve taught literally thousands of IBCLCs on six different continents. I always want to give them all the information I’ve learned over the past four-plus decades. That’s not possible! And, even if I could do that, it wouldn’t help them to know the latest published information. Here are some ideas of good places to get information about breastfeeding to get you started.
Internet
Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). Anything that ABM publishes is terrific, including their journal, Breastfeeding Medicine. What I use most, however, are their protocols.
LactMed. This is my go-to place to look up anything related to drugs and lactation. I haven’t used books for years. LactMed “is a database of drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant.” It’s a free resource from the National Library of Medicine that’s at your fingertips.
IBLCE Detailed Content Outline. If you’re preparing for the IBCLC exam, you need the Detailed Content Outline. While it’s certainly not as “detailed” as you might like, it provides seven main categories and over 100 subcategories of topics that you should expect to see on the exam.
Scope of Practice for IBCLCs. If you’re an IBCLC, or thinking of becoming one, the Scope of Practice is a resource you should have at your fingertips.
Podcasts
You won’t be surprised when I tell you that my favorite breastfeeding podcast is my own: Born to be Breastfed. I’m no longer recording new episodes, but you’ll find hundreds of past episodes that provide a wealth of information on a variety of topics!
Milk Minute Podcast with Heather ONeal, CNM, IBCLC and Maureen Farrell, CLC, DEM. (And yes, I was a guest on their podcast!)
Organizations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has plenty of information relevant to breastfeeding. Most often, I use the CDC’s site for these three issues:
- environmental contaminants that might affect a mother’s milk
- immunizations and vaccines that might affect the safety of a mother’s milk
- contraindications for breastfeeding in the United States.
Office of Women’s Health (OWH). This is a great place to find free handouts and much more for clients. One resource of note:
Your Guide to Breastfeeding: Download the guide here. It includes information on a variety of breastfeeding topics.
These are by no means the only resources you might need or want, but they are free, easily accessible, and ones I frequently use. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!
Let me know in the comments below what websites or podcasts do you frequent to help you keep up on the latest information about breastfeeding?
There are a lot of good breastfeeding podcasts to help Black women that shouldve been mentioned and websites
That’s one of the benefits of a blog, right? Comments are always welcome, but in this case, I specifically asked, “Let me know in the comments below what websites or podcasts do you frequent to help you keep up on the latest information about breastfeeding?”
As an aspiring IBCLC, I really appreciate this list! In my studies from your course, you mentioned some good apps. Anyone know of some apps they would recommend?
Joan, glad you found it helpful. You realize, of course, that the list of sources and apps is a list at least as long as your arm! So this was not intended to be exhaustive, and yes, I did mention others in my course(s), but what I might consider helpful or relevant might not be what someone else suggests. To some extent, preference will be somewhat driven by the population we serve, our areas of interest, and more. Thank you for the comment (and the positive feedback!)
I know of the Michigan breastfeeding website and ROSE but I do not know if black specific podcasts and other sites.please help us with this information to share thank you
Nancy
Nancy, you’re right on those two sources. I’m hoping that some others will chime in here–I’ll say it again — this was not intended to be an exhaustive list — and I’m eager to hear some suggestions or recommendations from others. But meanwhile, you might want to check out some of the resources I listed in an earlier post. https://mariebiancuzzo.com/2020/08/25/black-breastfeeding-week-2020-revive-restore-reclaim/