Annual Update 2026

Julie Grimes, IBCLC, presents 2025's most significant lactation research, clinical protocols, and position statements, translated into practical guidance you can apply immediately.

Discover the latest insights on:

• Policy and protocol updates including the ABM’s revised Protocol 7 on model maternity policy, with guidance on rooming-in, mastitis education, alternatives to artificial teats, transgender care, and shared decision-making for families living with HIV
• AAP clinical guidance on mother's own milk for very low birth weight infants, emphasizing early milk expression, skin-to-skin care, oral colostrum therapy, and adequate IBCLC staffing in the NICU
• NICU outcomes and family integrated care, including research on oral colostrum care, premature infant oral motor intervention, paternal involvement in non-nutritive feeding, and the short- and long-term benefits of human milk beyond NEC prevention
• Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative evidence, with new data showing that full implementation of all ten steps erases racial breastfeeding disparities, and that every ten-point increase in mPINC scores raises exclusive breastfeeding rates by approximately 4%
• Hospital practices that support or hinder lactation, including the impact of skin-to-skin care and the breast crawl, evidence-based positioning and latch modifications, the role of nipple shields in perceived milk insufficiency, and concerns about early pump reliance
• Commercial influences on infant feeding, examining how formula manufacturers infiltrate science, health systems, and regulatory processes and what healthcare professionals can do to protect families 
• Health equity and disparities, covering racial gaps in exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, frenotomy disparities and the role of standardized assessment tools, IBCLC density and breastfeeding rates by state, and how improved maternity practices narrow disparities for Black, Native American, and rural populations

This course equips you with a clear-eyed look at where the evidence stands today, and what it means for your practice tomorrow. You'll walk away better prepared to provide informed, compassionate, and equitable care to every family you serve.

Accreditation Recognition:

• 1.0 Nursing Contact Hour (through March 31, 2029)
• 1.0 L-CERP (through March 31, 2028)

Lactation Education Resources has been accepted by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) as a Preferred Provider for the listed Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs) programme. Determination of CERPs eligibility or CERPs Provider status does not imply IBLCE’s endorsement or assessment of education quality. As a Preferred Provider, Lactation Education Resources attests that it complies with the WHO Code and subsequent WHA resolutions.

Price: $17