The Oxytocin Exchange - GOLD Lactation 2026

Cultural Beliefs and Breastfeeding, Counseling Without Dismissing Tradition

Description: Discuss approaches to providing culturally responsive lactation support, including listening to and honouring family traditions, navigating practices that may differ from clinical recommendations, recognising your own cultural assumptions, supporting families without dismissing their heritage, and counselling in ways that build trust across cultural difference

Dealing With Misinformation and the Rise of AI

Explore strategies for addressing misinformation in the context of emerging AI tools, including identifying common sources of lactation misinformation, communicating corrections empathetically to families, supporting clients in critically assessing online information, and considering ethical implications when using AI in lactation care.

How to Approach Hospitals and Pediatricians for Lactation Co-Consultation

Explore approaches to building effective co-consultation relationships with hospitals and pediatricians, including establishing referral pathways, communicating clinical recommendations across professional boundaries, navigating differences in scope of practice, advocating for evidence-based lactation care within multidisciplinary teams, and building trust with medical colleagues.

The Future of the Field of Lactation

Discuss topics related to the future of the field of lactation, such as emerging trends in lactation care, the impact of technology and tele lactation on access and equity, evolving roles for lactation professionals and mentoring the next generation.

Breastfeeding Beyond 6 Months

Discuss strategies for supporting breastfeeding beyond the age of 6 months, such as supporting the transition to solids, helping families deal with teething, an active baby or toddler and concerns about milk production or weaning.

Marketing Yourself as a Lactation Professional

Explore approaches to marketing yourself as a lactation professional, including developing a clear and authentic professional brand, engaging in ethical marketing practices, maintaining professional integrity, and building trust and credibility with families and referral partners.

Getting Breastfeeding right Before Birth: The Power of Antenatal Education

Explore approaches to delivering engaging and effective antenatal breastfeeding education, including adult learning principles, strategies to keep participants engaged, providing anticipatory guidance, managing expectations, preventing common challenges, and identifying resources for further reading and referral.

Breastfeeding and Sleep

Discuss strategies for supporting families navigating breastfeeding and infant sleep, including the role of frequent night feeds in milk supply, evidence-based information on safe sleep and bedsharing, addressing parental fatigue without compromising breastfeeding, normalising biological infant sleep patterns, and counselling families through cultural and family pressure around sleep training.

Breastfeeding in the Early Days

Discuss strategies for supporting breastfeeding in the first few days and weeks of life, such as latching and positioning, managing weight gain, supporting lactogenesis II and managing early complications.

Breastfeeding and Drug Use

Discuss topics related to navigating breastfeeding and lactation with drug use, such as impact of social drugs such as Marijuana, Crystal Meth, Cocaine, MDMA etc, sources of information and how to provide care and counseling in a compassionate and trauma informed manner.

Breast-Pumping and Hormone Roles: How to Help Parents to Pump More Efficiently in the Lens of Lactation Physiology

Explore the physiology underpinning effective milk expression, including the role of oxytocin and prolactin in milk ejection and supply, optimising flange fit and pumping technique, supporting parents who pump exclusively or alongside direct feeding, troubleshooting low yield, and integrating physiological understanding into practical pumping guidance.

Growing Your Confidence as a Practitioner

Discuss topics related to growing your confidence as a practitioner, such as imposter syndrome and its impact on clinical confidence, building confidence through experience, mentorship, and reflection and navigating uncertainty and complex cases

Emerging Research and Global Perspectives in Lactation

Ideal for all professionals interested in staying current with global lactation science and emerging evidence, attendees will have the opportunity to discuss new evidence and its translation into practice as well as global perspectives in this session.

Mental Health and Emotional Support for Families

Discuss how to recognize perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, referral pathways and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as how to maintain professional boundaries. This session is ideal for peer supporters, lactation consultants, therapists, community activists and anyone who is supporting perinatal emotional well-being.

Telehealth, Texting, and Technology in Lactation Support

Discuss digital tools for follow-up and continuity of care, best practices for virtual consultations, breastfeeding apps for families and how to maintain connection and empathy through technology. This session is ideal for all lactation professionals exploring or using virtual and digital methods for client communication and education.

Birth Practices and the Impact on Lactation

Discuss the effects of labor interventions on breastfeeding, dive into strategies for promoting early skin-to-skin and physiological feeding, educating families about post-birth expectations, and supporting the recovery and feeding after surgical births. This session is ideal for IBCLCs, midwives, nurses, doulas, and childbirth educators.

Self-Care and Stress Mitigation for Lactation Care Providers

Share strategies for preventing burnout and setting boundaries in lactation work. This session is ideal for all professionals working in lactation or perinatal care seeking resilience and work-life balance.

Communication and Counselling Techniques

Discuss strategies for trauma-informed communication, encouraging self-efficacy in families with family centered care, reflective listening and empathy skills, and managing difficult or emotional conversations. This session is ideal for IBCLCs, RNs, peer support workers, educators, and anyone looking to enhance their communication and counselling techniques.

Lactation Care in the NICU and Pediatrics

Discuss family centered lactation care, supporting milk supply for hospitalized infants and navigating hospital discharge and follow up care. This session is ideal for IBCLCs and RNs working in NICU and pediatric settings, as well as MDs, SLPs, Dieticians, OTs, Doulas, and others providing lactation care for hospitalized or medically complex infants and children.

Lactation Support in the Community

Discuss strategies for working with diverse families and settings, as well as defining boundaries, scope of practice and referral processes, and partnering with healthcare providers and local networks. This session is ideal for BF peer counsellors/CLCs, CLEs, CLSP,LLL/WIC, but also appeals to anyone doing community focused work.

Promoting the Importance of Breastfeeding

Explore strategies for addressing misinformation, shifting public perceptions of breastfeeding in public, and strengthening community-level advocacy. This session is ideal for lactation consultants, educators, advocates, public health professionals, peer support workers, WIC, and pediatricians, and everyone interested in promoting the importance of breastfeeding.

Building Your Practice

Discuss starting and growing a private practice, fostering business ethics and professionalism in lactation care, building strong referral networks, and supporting ongoing education and personal growth. This session is ideal for new IBCLCs and those transitioning to private practice, CLCs, and other lactation professionals exploring private practice or entrepreneurship.

Complex Case Management in Lactation Care

Discuss assessment strategies for complex feeding cases, coordinating multidisciplinary care, and ethical considerations and scope of practice. This session is ideal for IBCLCs, RNs, pediatricians, RDs - clinical care providers, nurse educators.

Prenatal Education and Preparation for Breastfeeding

Discuss strategies for engaging expectant families in breastfeeding discussions, integrating lactation education into prenatal classes, and using evidence-based prenatal teaching tools. This session is ideal for doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, lactation professionals in prenatal education, public health nurses, peer supporters and anyone working with families in the prenatal period.