20 Hour Breast/Chestfeeding Course: Foundational Concepts

The online Douglas College 20 Hour Breastfeeding Course covers breastfeeding foundational concepts for those students who wish to increase their knowledge regarding the basics of lactation. This course will be useful for those students wishing to work and support breastfeeding families throughout their feeding trajectory. This introductory course covers the required minimum 20-hours of lactation education as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) and provides participants with the skills needed to help to breastfeed families achieve their feeding goals.

This information-packed and comprehensive interactive online course covers the latest evidence-based breastfeeding information, providing the kind of engagement and "hands-on learning" that made our original face to face 20 Hour classes so unique and rewarding.

This course is primarily self-paced, students will have a month to complete the course, but they can also choose to finish all coursework within three days.

Students have continuous access to their dedicated IBCLC instructor and will benefit from three days of focused instruction, which includes:

• 3 instructor-led "live" online collaborative sessions featuring interactive case-studies & guided learning
• 18 Powerpoint presentation modules & supplementary material (for print or download)
• Discussion forums, activities, and quizzes that will prepare students to apply their knowledge along the way
• All-day access to IBCLC instructor via course messaging and online meeting spaces

At the end of the course, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Douglas College’s Continuing Education Department. Finally, this course is heavily based on the Baby Friendly Initiative and uses a Family-Centered Care Approach as well as a Trauma-Informed lens throughout the course’s modules.

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, successful learners will be able to:

• Provide support to families through their breastfeeding journey, including acute or chronic issues
• Identify ways to promote, protect and support breastfeeding
• Understand the importance of breastfeeding
• Understand the anatomy and physiology involved in lactation
• Assess breastfeeding position & latch.
• Utilize effective breastfeeding & lactation techniques, assessment and breastfeeding counseling skills
• Support and assess milk production: expectations and challenges
• Review childhood development as it relates to lactation
• Utilize cultural and gender appropriate family-centered-care principles
• Use evidence-informed practice to manage acute and chronic breastfeeding challenges
• Understand scope of practice, when to refer, and collaboration with other health/other care providers
• Aware of local community resources including clinical support as well as other health equity support
  Establish breastfeeding as a cultural norm and utilize the revised Baby Friendly Initiative’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
• Discuss health implication of prescribed medications and recreational substances on breastmilk/breastfeeding; apply harm reduction principles as applicable.

Course Content

• Historical overview of breastfeeding
• Importance of breastfeeding, properties of human milk and the influence on infant development including the implications of not breastfeeding
• Anatomy and physiology of the breast and milk production
• Influence of pregnancy, labour and birth on early establishment of breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding positions including latch theory and practice
• Breastfeeding challenges: early, acute and chronic
• Relational practice and counselling techniques for breastfeeding vulnerable groups such as Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ2+, New Canadians and Refugees.
• Examining practice with the Baby Friendly Initiative including the newly revised Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
• Protection, promotion and support of ALL breastfeeding mothers

*No prerequisites

Technical Requirements for Success - important information

We strongly encourage registrants attend the live sessions.

The sessions are recorded for any registrants that really cannot attend.

Students can arrange a one on one with the instructor during the month they are registered to review material that they would like more explanation on.

Registrants can take Option A or B or a combination of the two.

Will be asked to submit your dates closer to the start of the course.