Welcome to the Medela University

This one-hour course explains how mothers’ milk volumes are initiated, built and maintained throughout the breastfeeding journey. The normal progression of human lactation is described along with normal infant sucking patterns. A review of lactation risk factors is presented by examining current research.  Proactive interventions that can positively impact lactation success are included in the presentation. This course contains three separate lessons, with a short quiz at the end of each lesson. Quizzes may be taken more than once for an improved score. You will be required to complete an evaluation at the end of this course. A certificate will be available after the completion of the course evaluation.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692. Read more

This one hour course will outline the educational gap of exocrine breast physiology among health care providers. It will discuss risk factors for hypolactation and include management strategies to treat suboptimal milk volumes.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692.   Presenter Laurie Jones, MD, FAAP, IBCLC, FABM Dr. Laurie Jones is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona Phoenix School of Medicine and teaches second and fourth year medical students. She is the founder of  Dr. MILK which is a 32,000+ person international support network for physician parents that are breastfeeding, and she is a presenter and speaker for the non-profit IABLE organization that trains physicians in competency-based knowledge and care of lactating parents and their children. Read more

This course developed by Jean Rhodes, PhD, CNM, IBCLC highlights issues related to the science and practice of human milk collection and storage. Over the last 30 years, research studies of this topic have examined a multitude of aspects of human milk under varying storage conditions. To highlight the diversity of this body of literature, three articles are reviewed: a laboratory study of the effects of storage on the anti-pathogenic activities of the human milk fat globule membrane; a current clinical protocol for milk storage and handling for healthy term infants; and a study of refrigerator storage of fresh milk in a NICU setting. Themes common to these articles are discussed as well as applications to clinical practice and areas for further study. This course contains three separate lessons, with a short quiz at the end of each lesson. Quizzes may be taken more than once for an improved score. You will be required to complete an evaluation at the end of this course. A certificate will be available after the completion of the course evaluation.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692.   Presenter Jean Rhodes, PhD, CNM, IBCLC Jean Rhodes has been involved in the care of women and infants for over 30 years. After completing her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing in 1979 and a Master's of Science in Nursing in 1983, Jean joined the faculty of the Nurse-Midwifery Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While teaching and practicing nurse-midwifery, she earned her PhD in Nursing Science in 1990 at the University of South Carolina. She has practiced full-scope nurse-midwifery in academic and private practice settings. Over the years Jean has taught-both at MUSC and Brown University School of Medicine-students from many disciplines including nursing, midwifery, and medicine as well as medical residents in obstetrics, pediatrics and family medicine. With nurse-midwifery as the philosophical base of her practice, Jean developed a postpartum home follow-up program at the MUSC tertiary care hospital to improve the continuity of care and provide better support of new mothers and their infants. She became an IBCLC in 2001 and, since then, has focused her clinical practice on lactation support of normal and high risk mother and infants. Her areas of research and publication include a wide range of topics from the philosophy of art and aesthetics as it applies to the art of nursing practice to the more clinically-based issues of the refrigerator shelf life of human milk and the process of test weighing to accurately determine infant intake at breast. Read more

This course provides up to date information about breast feeding and human Milk. Examining medical rationale for breastfeeding, international acceptance of the positive impact of breast feeding, and the goals for successful breast feeding, this presentation provides strong information about the positive impact of breastfeeding. Learning the ten-step model for breastfeeding gives the student specific information of how to address the breastfeeding patient, with breastfeeding concepts elucidated. Upon completion of the module and the associated quiz, the student will earn a completion certificate, suitable to add to student portfolios. This course contains three separate lessons, with a short quiz at the end of each lesson. An overall score of 70% or higher is required to receive credit for this course. Quizzes may be taken more than once for an improved score. You will be required to complete an evaluation at the end of this course. A certificate will be available after the completion of the course evaluation.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692.   Presenter Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN Diane Spatz is a Professor of Perinatal Nursing & the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing sharing a joint appointment as a nurse researcher and director of the lactation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the clinical coordinator of the CHOP Mothers’ Milk Bank. Read more

In this course we will discuss the breastfeeding journey of the very low/extremely low birth weight baby in the NICU. Breastfeeding for these tiny babies starts at birth. Early oral care with colostrum, skin-to-skin care, early and consistent exposure and time at the mother’s breast, infant-driven feeding, and prioritization of at-breast feeding will be discussed. Discussion on engaging mother, family, NICU staff and providers to create an environment and culture of breastfeeding inclusiveness and support of exclusive human milk will be infused throughout this presentation.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692.   Presenter Lori Wood MSN, CNS, RNC-NIC, IBCLC Lori Wood is a Neonatal/Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA. A neonatal nurse for 36 years, Lori is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Promoting the use of human milk in the NICU and sharing evidence-based knowledge is a primary focus. Lori participates in numerous community based groups promoting breastfeeding and the use of human milk, neonatal nursing, and nursing education and professionalism. Read more

This course will provide the learner with examples of how to use this research in clinical practice and help families identify and build breastfeeding support teams. In addition, an emphasis will be placed on the need to change the current prenatal care paradigm to help families prepare for lactation so they can meet their personal goals for the provision of human milk and breast/chest feeding.   This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, CEP 13692.   Presenter Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN is a Professor of Perinatal Nursing & the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing sharing a joint appointment as a nurse researcher and director of the lactation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the clinical coordinator of the CHOP Mothers’ Milk Bank. Read more