All Things Breastfeeding Podcast

From Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher: Using new research in clinical practice? How do we do this? When is it time to let go of our old ways of doing things and incorporate new information? These are some of the questions Nancy and Barbara discuss in this episode of All Things Breastfeeding. Sometimes, incorporating new research in clinical practice is easy. It can be an “ah-ha” moment. Nancy had this when she learned about Suzanne Colson’s research on releasing babies’ reflexes to stimulate breastfeeding. She knew Suzanne’s description was true and immediately began incorporating Suzanne’s ideas into her practice. Barbara had this type of moment when she read Nancy’s article, “The Magic Number.” On the other hand, we can also suffer from confirmation bias. We may want to believe that we can use human milk for longer than the current recommendations (see article below), so we are happy when a study suggests this might be true. On the other hand

From Barbara Robertson What is 2nd Night Syndrome? 2nd-night syndrome is a common feature of newborn behavior. It typically occurs on the 2nd night after birth, when the baby’s behavior shifts from sleepiness to greater wakefulness, often asking to nurse frequently. Our colleague, Jan Barger, has discussed this. In her description of this she says, “All of a sudden, your little one discovers that he’s no longer back in the warmth and comfort – though a bit crowded – womb where he has spent the last 9 months – and it is SCARY out here!” No wonder babies are upset!” Correct! Infants are upset, but our takeaway message to families is that this is normal and your baby is fine. And, happily, there are things you can do that may help. What does 2nd Night Syndrome look like? The key sign of this is that the baby wants to be held continually and nursed frequently. This is expected behavior. The baby is shifting from being fed through the umbilical cord and held constantly in the womb

A tongue tie update? Barbara and Nancy discuss a 2026 research study on tongue ties by Raol et al. and a commentary response in this episode of All Things Breastfeeding. One of the goals of LactaLearning is to provide recent studies that have the potential to impact clinical lactation practices. The debate over whether tongue ties are being over- or under-treated has been ongoing for several years. After reviewing the latest research on tongue ties for the upcoming edition (this edition is still at least a year away from being released), the research conclusion seems to be that there are absolutely cases where a tongue tie release appeared to be critical for an infant to be able to nurse effectively and/or without pain for the parent. On the other hand, it appears that more babies are undergoing this procedure, even though this may not have been the core issue. The Raol study looked at 476 infants and found “Conclusions: Although ankyloglossia may affect breastfeeding experiences, ankyloglossia a

Why does early breastfeeding position matter? Nancy and Barbara discuss one of their favorite topics with friend and colleague, IBCLC Rene Fisher. Whether you are talking about the starter position, laid back breastfeeding, or biological nurturing from Suzanne Colson, they all mean the same thing. Relax, lean back at a comfortable angle (not flat on your back), and place the baby tummy-to-tummy on the parent’s body. When this is done suddenly, the baby can move their body more easily, and many infant feeding reflexes are triggered, ensuring that at least one person knows what they are doing. Nancy discusses her experience improving breastfeeding practices at a Chicago-area hospital, and Rene shares her experiences with her own grandson, which made her a firm believer. Rene took this simple, time-saving technique back to her hospital on the East Coast, where it was a great success. Nancy’s ideas of adjusting your body, adjusting the baby, and adjusting the breast make it even easier to help familie

Barbara and Nancy discuss their experience at the 2025 ILCA conference. This was the first conference at which LactaLearning participated in the exhibit hall! They were joined by a good friend and fellow IBCLC, Rene Fisher. It was so much fun seeing old friends and making new ones! There was such a great response. When asked, some people had heard of LactaLearning; folks either said, “Yes, I love it!” or “No, but it sounds like a great idea in terms of what we are doing with education.” It was thrilling to get such good feedback. Nancy and Barbara each attended several presentations and discuss what they learned. Because they are both lifelong learners, it is exciting to see what other leaders are doing in the field. In particular, Barbara and Nancy had dinner with Dr. Lisa Anders to continue their discussion of the pump flange fitting. Lisa’s poster presentation presents data suggesting that flange size fitting may not be as important as we thought. Stay tuned for more on that!

Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple? Nancy and Barbara discuss this important topic and how their new book group, Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple, can help make you an expert on this topic. Here are just five topics that will be covered in depth during the book group! Yes, it is possible to support working parents in achieving their infant feeding goals. Several critical factors for supporting breastfeeding/chestfeeding among employed parents have been identified in the literature and clinical practice. Despite the dire statistics, families in Barbara’s private practice actually do well. None of them discontinued breastfeeding during the first month of returning to work. Providing accurate information about how breast milk supply works and how to express breast milk, along with social and emotional support, appeared to help clients maintain breastfeeding despite occasional difficulties. Here are five critical factors that help families meet their breastfeeding goals. 1. Breastfeeding Is Going We

Exclusive pumping? Why would some one do this? Barbara and Nancy discuss the latest research on exclusive pumping. They look at who is exclusive pumping and why. This has shifted in the past 2o years or so. It used to be that the majority of exclusive pumpers were pumping for their preterm babies while they… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 103: Updates on Exclusive Pumping appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Are you looking to become an IBCLC and are having trouble finding clinical hours? Let Nancy and Barbara help! Deciding on which PATHWAY  The 3 exam eligibility pathways are open to individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Each person must decide which pathway will work best for them. For more info, go here: https://ibclc-commission.org/step-1-prepare-for-ibclc-certification/lactation-specific-clinical-experience/ Pathway… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 103: Finding Lactation Clinical Hours appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Barbara takes the time to sit down with her LactaLearning co-founder, Nancy Mohrbacher to discuss her journey in the field of lactation. Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA fell in love with breastfeeding while nursing her three sons, Carl, Peter, and Ben, who are now grown.  In 1982, before the lactation profession existed, she began working as… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 102: Interview with Nancy Mohrbacher appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

From Barbara Robertson: Barbara spent some time with Dr. Kathy Kendall-Tackett. She is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women’s health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett was the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Lactation and is still the Editor-In-Chief for  Psychological Trauma. She is Fellow… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 101: Interview with Kathy Kendall-Tackett appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Nancy and Barbara are celebrating that LactaLearning, Inc is now 3 years old! It is hard to believe that what started out as a dream for Barbara has evolved with Nancy into a thriving business. This podcast shares how Barbara and Nancy became colleagues over forming a book group with Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition in… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 100! LactaLearning is 3! appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Kimberly Seals Allers words, “I’m a femtech founder, writer, speaker and maternal and infant health strategist with a bold vision to transform the experience of motherhood for all and to eradicate racial disparities in birth and breastfeeding.” Kimberly is someone who sees an issue and works on solutions! She gets things done! Barbara was lucky… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 99: Interview with Kimberly Seals Allers appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

In this episode Nancy and Barbara discuss the latest findings on relacation and induced lactation. According to University of Western Australia’s LactaPedia, an online comprehensive glossary of human lactation terms freely available to professionals and parents (https://lactapedia.com/lactapedia-site/homee), relactation is defined as the re-establishment of lactation after the immediate post-birth period. This restricts relactation only to… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 98: Relactation and Induced Lactation appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Barbara first meet Kay Hoover at her favorite conference, Lactation Consultants in Private Practice about 18 years ago. Kay and her dear friend Chris Mulford, created the conference to help private practice folks improve their skills. Kay has been in the field for years, in many different roles, working in private practice, at the hospital,… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 97: Interview with Kay Hoover appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Wanting to get to know some of her favorite mentors who are the leaders in the field of lactation, Barbara Robertson is creating a series of podcasts to share with all of you! The first is with Dr. Anne Eglash. Barbara did an interview with Dr. English in 2015 about pain that is published here.… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 96: Interview with Dr. Anne Eglash appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

What’s the deal with lipase? There was a recent paper published called Food-Derived Compounds Extend the Shelf Life of Human Milk. Nancy and Barbara found this very interesting and discuss the merits of the findings from this paper, what we actually know about lipase and human milk, and what should we be doing about lipase,… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 95: Lipase appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

How to become an IBCLC…. The answer to this is not as simple as we would hope! In this podcast Nancy and Barbara answer some of the most common questions people ask about how to become an IBCLC. Below is a description of the process. You can also join us for our monthly “How to… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 94: How to Become an IBCLC – Common Questions appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

What’s the deal with infant growth spurts? The fact is we aren’t sure. One theory is that the babies are growing faster so needed more calories. The idea is the babies ate more frequently because they needed more food! However, a recent 2024 systematic lit review shows that this is most likely not true. It… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 93: What’s the Deal with Infant Growth Spurts? appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Nancy and Barbara discuss a new article that came out in 2024. The study was a large study (20,000 women) in Canada and it looked at the length of breastfeeding, overall years/months of breastfeeding and the onset of menopause. Breastfeeding and women are the terms used in the study so we will be using them… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 92: Menopause and Nursing appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor (BFCAA) has been operating for more than 15 years!! To celebrate this milestone Jessica and special guest Barb, the original co-host of the podcast, interviewed Barbara on the journey of starting, building, and growing the Center. From Barbara: “I opened the center in 2008 as a place for all… The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 91: 15 Years of BFCAA! appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.