Black Breastfeeding Week 2018
This year marks the sixth annual Black Breastfeeding Week which is observed on 25-31 August. According the the official website, this year’s theme is #LoveOnTop. This theme was chosen, according to […]
Category: Blog
ICEA Supports the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes
By Donna Walls, RN, BSN, IBCLC, ICCE, ANLC ICEA supports the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes. What does that mean? Simply that ICEA does not promote or distribute materials […]
What is the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative?
by Donna Walls, RN, ICCE, IBCLC, ANLC The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative was developed and implemented by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in 1991. These organizations recognized the importance of […]
What is the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes?
by Debra Tolson, ICEA Presdient Do you know what the “International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes” is? Have you heard the verbiage “WHO Code compliant”? Did you know that the International […]
A Party for Penny
By Vonda Gates 6 June 2018 was a day to party with Penny Simkin. There was much to celebrate: 30 years of training doulas, 50 years of teaching childbirth classes, […]
What Pregnant Families Really Need to Know to Get Breastfeeding Started Off Right
by Donna Walls, RN, ICCE, IBCLC Most prenatal classes tend to focus on “information” about breastfeeding like how it works or lists of all the things that can go wrong. […]
New Findings in SIDS Research
by Cynthia Billiar BSN, RN, IBCLC, ANLC, ICD, ICCE If the CDC came out today and reported they had found a medication that would decrease sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by […]
Breastfeeding Information on the Internet: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
by Donna Walls, RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC, ANLC Many, probably most new mothers, are looking for information and answers to their questions on the internet. The internet is often the first […]
Breastfeeding Makes All the Difference: Breastfeeding’s Role in Overcoming the Effects of Adversity, Racism, and Discrimination
by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, RLC, FAPA We are at a critical junction in the U.S. in our conversations about race and ethnicity. People are being shot by police, and […]
The Distinctive Needs of Military Families Surrounding Childbirth
by Liz Riffle Do you want to support military families? Is your business near a military base? Do you want to give something back to those who fight for our freedoms? […]
What’s in the Future for Childbirth Education?
by Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN About a year ago, I decided that I wanted to work more closely with families in my home town of Lexington, Kentucky. So I developed […]
Epigenetics and Breastfeeding
by Cynthia Billiar BSN, RN, IBCLC, ICCE, ICD, ANLC Research suggests that we carry genetic memories of our ancestors that can affect our health. These genetic memories are called epigenetic tags. […]
The “Fourth Trimester”
by Donna Walls RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC The initial transition to motherhood is unique for every mother/baby dyad. It is a time of exploration, nurturing, learning and falling in love. This transition […]
Breastfeeding in Public
by Cynthia Billiar, BSN, RN, IBCLC, ANLC, ICD, CD(DONA), ICCE Have you ever wondered how we got to the place that we need laws to protect a breastfeeding mother’s right to […]
Bottle Feeding: Is There a Risk?
by Cynthia Billiar, RN, IBCLC, ANLC, ICD, ICCE More than 85% of lactating women in the United States express their milk some of the time. Of those pumping, 5.6% are exclusively […]
Placental Encapsulation: Friend or Foe of Postpartum Mothers?
by Donna Walls, RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC, ANLC In recent years, a practice has appeared which involves the preparation of a woman’s placenta for ingestion. Preparation practices vary from dehydration to […]
SIDS Awareness Month
by Donna Walls RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness month and a time to take a fresh look at how we can educate parents and caregivers […]
Doula, Advocate, Activist
by Bonita Katz, BA, RN, ICCE, ICBD, IAT, CLC Most of us in birth work are well aware of today’s controversies in maternal health care: high cesarean rates, increasing maternal […]
Open Letter to Fed Is Best Foundation
ICEA wants you to know that we are part of a coalition of 40 organizations that sent an open letter to the co-founders of the Fed Is Best Foundation on […]
Engorgement: An Often Misunderstood Condition
by Donna Walls, RN, ICCE, IBCLC, ANLC When a mother tells you she’s engorged- check in and ask what she means. Too often our patients use the term meaning their […]
World Breastfeeding Week 2017
In 2016, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) began the 15-year journey to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by linking each of these goals to breastfeeding. But, WABA cannot […]
Five Secrets of Teaching Better Breastfeeding Sessions
by Terriann Shell, BS, RN, IBCLC, CHES, ICCE, FILCA I’ve always thought that once you know how to teach adults childbirth, you could teach any subject. While this may be […]
Road Map to China
By Tamela Hatcher, MEd I am thrilled to have been asked to share my story regarding my experience teaching ICEA Professional Childbirth Education (PCBE) and Birth Doula workshops in China. […]
Is Distracted Parenting a Problem?
by Donna Walls, RN, BSN, ICCE, IBCLC, ANLC A relatively new phenomenon is occurring with some possibly serious implications for infants and children. Concerns are being expressed related to “distracted […]