Hope & Healing: Lactation Care in the Context of Trauma

More than ever before, science is revealing the impact of trauma on individuals’ experiences, responses, and lifelong wellbeing. Lactation care providers meet clients at a particularly vulnerable time, when past trauma and new trauma can collide. To provide excellent, effective lactation support, you must be able to recognize the signs of trauma and have a deep understanding of how it can shape the pregnancy, birth, and lactation journey. These two courses — from veteran providers, based on the latest research, and informed by the real-life stories of lactating parents who have experienced trauma — will ensure you have the information you need.

Included in this course:

Trauma Informed Care. While previous models focused on diagnosing (what is wrong with you?), the new standard of care—trauma-informed care—focuses on asking, what happened to you? In this course, you will learn to evaluate the role that trauma may have in the lives of your clients, how to intervene, when to refer, and how to nurture and support yourself as you’re caring for clients with trauma. Instructor: Laurie K. Scherer, MS, LCPC-S.

When Developmental Trauma and Breastfeeding Collide. Developmental (childhood) trauma can be particularly challenging during new parenthood, since it has the potential to disrupt identity development, attachment, emotional regulation, and more. With this course, you’ll be prepared to help. Understand the most recent research connecting past trauma with birth and lactation experiences and outcomes and learn practical, actionable tools to communicate about trauma and support clients today. Instructor: Dr. Melody Jackson, GP, IBCLC. Content warning: This course contains stories, quotes, and reflections that may be difficult to listen to, whether you are a survivor or not.