Welcome to the Medela University

With an infant's demise the missing piece in bereavement care, is suppression of breast milk supply.  This course provides safe lactation suppression strategies and delivers information on support services and breast milk donation.   Presenter Donna Warr, RN, IBCLC Donna currently works as a lactation consultant through Lee Health’s Family Education and Lactation Services in Southwest Florida. With over 30 years of experience as a NICU nurse, Donna understands the challenges that new families face, particularly when encountering so many different caregivers throughout their prenatal and labour and delivery experience – and the confusion that inconsistent or mixed messages from these different caregivers can cause. She has also published an article, “After the loss of an infant: Suppression of breast milk supply”, in Neonatal Network The Journal of Neonatal Nursing’s July/August 2019 issue. Read More

This course will address why the current prenatal care paradigm is inadequate to prepare families for their lactation journeys and present solutions.  Antenatal lactation risk assessment is essential as well as a proactive approach to lactation initiation. Research, case studies and tools will be shared with the audience.   Presenter Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN Dr. 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. She is an active researcher, clinician, and educator who is internationally recognized for her work surrounding the use of human milk and breastfeeding particularly in vulnerable populations. Read More

Colostrum has long been referred to as “liquid gold,” but what exactly makes it so special?  In this webinar for healthcare providers, we will discuss the nutritional, but even more importantly, the amazing immunological and anti-infective properties of colostrum.   Presenter Rebecca Hoban, MD MPH Dr Rebecca Hoban is a staff neonatologist and the Director of Breastfeeding Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children (“SickKids”) in Toronto, and an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr Hoban graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed a paediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Tufts University, and a MPH at Harvard before joining the Neonatology and Human Milk Research team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr Hoban joined SickKids in 2017 as neonatology staff, with a focus on human milk. Current projects include improving mother’s milk provision in the NICU, milk biomarkers to predict lactation success, inflammatory markers in human milk, and fresh milk as potential stem cell therapy in premature infants with intraventricular haemorrhage. Read More

In this webinar we discuss maternal-neonatal risk factors where expression of human milk should be implemented in the first 3 days of life to support an optimal milk supply.   Presenter Darlene Silver, MSN, RN, IBCLC For over 30 years, Darlene’s career has primarily focused on the care of women, infants and children, as well as nursing education with a commitment to working in underserved communities. She currently works as the lead lactation consultant in the Women’s Services Department at the George Washington University Hospital. She provides direct patient care. She also educates newly hired nurses, lactation consultant interns and medical students on the care and management of breastfeeding dyads and human lactation. In addition, she participates in multidisciplinary committees and workgroups to revise and develop evidence-based protocols and policies. Darlene has served on the Board of Directors for three non-profit organizations. Two focusing on increasing the number of students from underserved communities to pursue careers in nursing, medicine, healthcare and STEM professions, and one providing community based residential care and services to individuals and families with long-term mental health challenges in Prince George’s County. She fervently believes in community service and regularly volunteers in community based activities sponsored by local, state and national organizations dedicated to health and wellness. Read More

In some vulnerable populations, such as late preterm, lack of effective breastfeeding may not be recognized, resulting in delayed or impaired milk production. This course will cover the evidence behind appropriate lactation initiation, especially in at-risk populations, and how we can best support parents to meet their lactation goals. This course is CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certified.    Presenter Rebecca Hoban MD, MPH Dr Rebecca Hoban is a staff neonatologist and the Director of Breastfeeding Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children (“SickKids”) in Toronto, and an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr Hoban graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed a paediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Tufts University, and a MPH at Harvard before joining the Neonatology and Human Milk Research team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr Hoban joined SickKids in 2017 as neonatology staff, with a focus on human milk. Current projects include improving mother’s milk provision in the NICU, milk biomarkers to predict lactation success, inflammatory markers in human milk, and fresh milk as potential stem cell therapy in premature infants with intraventricular haemorrhage. Read More

This presentation highlights the newest evidence that mothers’ own milk is “personalized medicine” for NICU infants, and summarizes why donor human milk feedings do not yield the same beneficial outcomes.  Given that there is no optimal substitute for mothers’ own milk, strategies to prioritize its availability in the NICU are essential.  This session targets the first two weeks post-birth as a critical period that includes secretory activation and achievement of coming to volume in breast pump-dependent mothers of NICU infants, and includes evidence, best practices and the newest ongoing research in this area.   This course is CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certified.    Presenter Prof. Paula Meier, PhD, RN Paula Meier, PhD, RN, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Nursing at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr. Meier has worked as a practitioner, researcher, and educator in the area of human milk, lactation and breastfeeding for premature infants and their mothers since 1975. Dr. Meier's lifetime research focus has been on the improvement of initiation and maintenance of lactation in breast pump-dependent mothers of NICU infants, and in the development and testing of clinical techniques to optimize the impact of human milk on health and cost outcomes in NICU infants. Read More