ALCI Ireland

Linda Smith MPH, FACCE, IBCLC, FILCA, is confirmed as the Keynote Speaker for the 2013 ALCI Conference. Linda is a lactation consultant, childbirth educator, author, and internationally-known consultant on breastfeeding and birthing issues. Linda is ILCA’s liaison to the World Health Organisation’s Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and consultant to INFACT Canada/IBFAN North America. As a former La Leche League Leader and Lamaze-certified Childbirth Educator, she provided education and support to diverse families over 35 years. Linda was a founder of IBLCE, founder and past board member of ILCA, and is a delegate to the United States Breastfeeding Committee from the American Breastfeeding Institute. She owns the Bright Future Lactation Resource Center, whose mission is “Supporting the People who Support Breastfeeding” with lactation education programs, consulting services, and educational resources.

This theme of this two day ALCI Conference is ‘Creating Realistic Breastfeeding Expectations’ and it will take place in the Green Isle Hotel, Clondalkin on October 4th and 5th 2013.

Further detail will be available here.

Recently many ALCI members, and some staff of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, enjoyed an informative and stimulating day with a variety of speakers; PR Consultant Marie Ennis O’Connor, CMS Teenage Pregnancy Una O’Brien, HSE National Breastfeeding Coordinator Siobhan Hourigan and Janet Calvert, RM BSc MSc.

The ALCI AGM also took place on the day. This included the official election of some Council positions, and ALCI Council now stands as follows;

• President – Margaret Murphy IBCLC, Co. Cork
• Vice President – Meabh Anne McNamara IBCLC, Co. Kildare
• Treasurer – Johanna Riley Cusack IBCLC, Co. Clare
• Secretary – Genevieve Becker IBCLC, Co. Galway
• General Council Member – Audrey McVeigh Clarke IBCLC, Co. Galway
• General Council Member – Norma Quirke IBCLC, Co. Dublin
• General Council Member – Vacant

The next ALCI Event will be the Annual Conference on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th of October 2012 in The Green Isle Hotel, Dublin. The theme will be ‘Creating Realistic Breastfeeding Expectations’. This two day event will be the 10th Annual ALCI Conference. More details will be available here.

Social Media and the IBCLC, Ethical considerations and targeting those least likely to breastfeed, Teenage Pregnancy and Taking a consumer approach to promoting breastfeeding will be the presentations at ‘Breastfeeding Support and New Technologies’, the ALCI Members Only Event, Spring 2013 on Saturday April 20th 2013 in the Nursing Education Centre of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.

Ms. Marie Ennis O’Connor, PR Consultant will present Social Media and the IBCLC. Ms. Janet Calvert, RM BSc MSc Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager Regional Breastfeeding Lead for the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland will discuss Ethical Considerations and Targeting These Least Likely to Breastfeed. Ms. Siobhán Hourigan, National Breastfeeding Coordinator, will discuss taking a consumer approach to promoting breastfeeding. Ms. Una O’Brien, CMS Teenage Pregnancy will present a session on Teenage Pregnancy.

4 CERPs have been awarded in total, 1.25 CERPs L and 3.75 CERPs E. The event fee is €20, which includes a light lunch. The event is open to all current ALCI members & staff of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Please feel free to include your ALCI Membership / Membership Renewal with your event registration. Pre-registered and pre-paying is essential. If you are unable to attend, a full refund will be made if 48 hours’ notice is given, or another member may attend in your place.

If you are not an ALCI member but are interested in attending, you are welcome to join ALCI and attend the event, just email info@alcireland.ie for membership and event forms.

Please contact ALCI at info@alcireland.ie or text 089 441 6497 if you have any queries.

The Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) is joined the International Lactation Consultant Association in celebrating IBCLC Day on March 6th, 2013. This year’s theme “Connect with IBCLCs, the Experts in Breastfeeding Care,” highlights the expertise of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® in providing breastfeeding care.

As part of ALCI’s IBCLC Day celebrations, Siobhan Hourigan (HSE National Breastfeeding Co-ordinator) was presented with a certificate from ALCI, of appreciation for her support and inclusion of IBCLCs. The certificate was presented at the National Breastfeeding Strategy Implementation Committee meeting. Also in the photo below (from left to right) are Nuala Molumby IBCLC, Meabh Anne McNamara IBCLC and Dr. Genevieve Becker IBCLC, all ALCI members on the National Committee.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® (IBCLCs) are healthcare professionals with expertise related to breastfeeding. In order to become certified, all IBCLCs have extensive training through coursework and clinical practice hours, and they have passed an internationally recognised exam.

Because of their training and required continuing education, IBCLCs are knowledgeable about evidence-based practices and experienced in managing a wide variety of complex breastfeeding situations. They advise mothers during pregnancy, help them establish breastfeeding, and provide assistance with any challenges that may occur. IBCLCs also train other health workers and educators so that they may support breastfeeding. IBCLCs undertake research, develop health materials, and implement programs and campaigns.

According to Megs Murphy IBCLC, President of ALCI, “Parents can be overwhelmed by the many sources of information on breastfeeding, some of which may be conflicting. An IBCLC has the expertise to provide parents accurate, evidence-based information specific to their needs.”

As allied health care professionals with the only internationally-recognised credential for professional lactation services, IBCLCs work in hospitals, clinics, private practice, community settings, health promotion programmes, education and in research. There are currently more than 26,000 IBCLC certificants in 94 countries worldwide. The IBCLC is certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®), which is accredited by the U.S. National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Pregnant women, parents and health workers can find an IBCLC who is working in Private Practice in Ireland here.

The Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) is an affiliate of The International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), and promotes the professional development, advancement and recognition of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) for the benefit of breastfeeding infants and children, mothers, families and the wider community. Contact ALCI at info@alcireland.ie

The ERSI Perinatal Statistics Report for 2011 was released on the 20^th December 2012. It had some good news on breastfeeding and reported that 55% of babies recorded any breastfeeding in 2011, compared to 51% in 2007 and 44% in 2002. A reported 47% of babies were exclusively breastfed, compared to 45% in 2007 and 41% in 2002. The rising rate of breastfeeding provide a healthy start for babies, aid long term health, and reduces national health care costs.

The report found that breastfeeding was more common than artificial feeding amongst mothers aged between 25 years or more, with the highest proportion of breastfeeding mothers in the 30–34 year age group, of whom 50.2 % reported that they were breastfeeding.   The rise in breastfeeding in Ireland may be attributable to the increased population of non-Irish mothers who are more likely to breastfeed. Babies of Irish-born mothers and mothers under 25 years of age were reported in the 2011 statistics as least likely to be breastfeeding highlighting the major influence of the mother’s cultural and social background. Greater availability and access to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) would assist in meeting the need for on-going support and promotion of breastfeeding in these mothers. Increased recognition of the importance of breastfeeding support in the early days combined with interaction between breastfeeding support organisations and the Health Service could help increase rates across the board.

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a globally recognised qualification that identifies a member of the health care team who has acquired specialist skill, made an in depth study of breastfeeding and passed an international exam. IBCLCs work to promote, support and protect breastfeeding. The over 170 current International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) in Ireland have played a key role in the increase in breastfeeding rates. IBCLCs work in hospitals, community health services, education, private practice and national health promotion programmes. They work individually with mothers and groups as well as in training other health professionals and in policy implementation. Contact with an IBCLC can often be instrumental in getting breastfeeding off to a good start and can help mothers who may be having difficulties to solve them and continue breastfeeding.

The Pan-American office of the World Health Organisation recently changed its policy regarding contributions from industry and has accepted $150,000 from Nestle.

Nestle is known worldwide as a violator of the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes. An international petition has been circulating to urge the Pan American office of the WHO to return the money and to keep the entire WHO true to its mission.

You can sign the petition in seconds (anonymously if you like) by clicking on this link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/569/157/115/urge-the-world-health-organization-to-cut-ties-with-nestle-our-mothers-and-babies-are-worth-it/#

National Breastfeeding Week 2012 took place from the 1^st to the 7^th October. This is the end of calendar week 40 of each year and symbolizes the start of a new relationship between mother and child, the beginning of the Breastfeeding journey. The theme of this year’s National Breastfeeding Week was ‘Good Health Begins with Breastfeeding’.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) are the gold standard in Lactation care and members of Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) practice to the highest standards thus assuring mothers in their care of a professional, competent and caring relationship that goes way beyond infant feeding. They are skilled supporters, working in both Health Care settings and Privately in the Community.

The Annual Conference of the Association of Lactation Consultants took place on Saturday 29^th of September, and began this special week of  Events, both Educational and Social, across the Country. The keynote speaker was Dr. Suzanne Colson, who presented on ‘Biological Nurturing’.

More details on the next ALCI event will be available here shortly.

ALCI is delighted to announce that the upcoming Annual Conference (29th September) in the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth, is a registered venue for this year’s Friends of Breastfeeding Ireland Quintessence Challenge. Email alci@ireland.com to get a Booking Form for the Conference, and partake in the challenge during the morning. The Quintessence Breastfeeding Challenge takes place all over the world on September 29th. At last year’s Challenge, 400 children breastfed simultaneously in Ireland, winning Ireland second place worldwide. This is the third year that Ireland has participated in the Challenge, and the organisers hope that it will raise public awareness of the need for information and support for breastfeeding families. ‘Latch on’ will take place at 11 am at many different venues all over Ireland, and any breastfeeding mother who attends the ALCI Conference will be facilitated in participating.  Email alci@ireland.com for booking form.

Enabling Biological Nurturing, what are the consequences of not breastfeeding, and where breastfeeding is going in Ireland are among the topics at “Breastfeeding Research into Clinical Practice” the Annual Conference of the Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland on Saturday September 29^th 2012 in the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

Dr. Suzanne Colson is co-founder of The Nurturing Project, an organisation disseminating Biological Nurturing research and an honorary senior lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. Dr Colson has 35 years’ experience supporting breastfeeding in hospital and community settings and will present three sessions.

Findings from The Growing Up In Ireland Study: The Consequences Of Not Breastfeeding by Dr. Richard Layte, Research Professor ESRI & Adjunct Professor, TCD.

Ms. Siobhán Hourigan, National Breastfeeding Coordinator, will discuss Breastfeeding in Ireland – Where we are and where we’re going.

Ms. Rebecca O Donovan, Dr. Genevieve Becker and Ms. Mary Mahon will present findings from their recent research studies on practice related issues.

Conference participants are invited to submit research and practice posters for display, publication in the conference abstract book and awards. Attendance at the Conference earns the delegates 5.75 IBCLC CERPs and 7 An Bord Altranais Continuing Education Units.

Handouts, lunch and refreshments are included in the delegate fee of €60 for members and €80 for non members at the Early Bird rate (before Wednesday September 19^th) with discount for full-time undergraduate students.

Booking forms are available from alci@ireland.com.

Abstracts of the event are available here.