Hi everyone,

We hope you are all cruising along in these very strange but becoming the ‘new normal’ times?

It has been a couple of months now since the launch of our new website and all its features. We hope you are finding your way around and we especially hope that you have discovered the online education modules. Don’t forget the Ethics for lactation professionals is your included module for 2020, and that you have a 20% off voucher code for the others. This was in your welcome email and can be found here.

The 10243NAT Diploma of Breastfeeding Management 2020/2021 intake is now open for enrolment! Designed with your needs as a health professional in mind, this course will help you to develop the skills and knowledge to help improve health outcomes for families. We offer a range of flexible study options to support you to meet all of the requirements to successfully complete this course. The course requires completion of 12 units of study (eight core and four elective units). This is achieved by combining self-directed study, one-day workshops and assessments for each unit. Click here for more information and to view the Pre-course Information Booklet.

If you are not placed to complete the full 10243NAT Diploma of Breastfeeding Management at the moment, but would still like to increase your lactation knowledge, you can certainly attend the workshops as standalone events. The cost to participate in a workshop is $235 for an ABA member or $265 for a non- ABA member per workshop.

Update on our resources designed for you and your work with mums and babies.

Those who are eagle-eyed among you may have noticed our Low Supply Fact Sheet disappeared. It’s back, bigger (literally — it is now two pages) and better after some feedback and a review. The link to this fact sheet is in this email.

I mentioned our ABA Services interactive flyers last time along with some new videos. I hope you have had a chance to check them out. These are great for handing on to your clients to let them know how ABA can support them.

We have recently added a Cup feeding poster to our information webpages with kind permissions from Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia and team who produced this fabulous resource.

Last month I hinted at the launch of our Breastfeeding Education Live sessions (BELs). This is our COVID-19 answer to our antenatal breastfeeding education classes — live Zoom sessions with many additional resources included. Check it out here.

Have you worked with a particularly challenging breastfeeding case recently OR was your own breastfeeding experience challenging? If so, we would love to hear about it. We have more information here about how to submit case histories. Some case histories are selected to write up for publishing in our journal Breastfeeding Review and sometimes used for conference presentations (with permission).

At the end of April, ABA prepared a submission for the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements. This was particularly looking at how well-prepared Australia is for natural disasters, but of course even pandemics can be included in that now. You can read it here.

As usual, please know that we love to receive your feedback, and particularly would love to hear if there are any resources you would love to find on our website, or topics you would love covered in our Feature articles, or fact sheets. Email: bir@breastfeeding.asn.au

Take care,

Naomi Hull
Senior Manager Breastfeeding Information and Research