WALC

Our WALC Conference is this week!  March 4 & 5.    If you are registered for the conference be sure to read your email from last week and get yourself set up on WHOVA.  And if you haven’t registered, you can still join us by registering ASAP: WALC Conference Registration.

Friday, January 15, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Join us as we welcome Mary Muse, IBCLC, MPH, CHES, LLL, The Role of the Grandmother in Breastfeeding: What Lactation Professionals can learn from Grandmothers in offering lactation support. 

Earn 2 L CERPS, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by WALC Business Meeting

Registration is required.  Registrants will receive a link to Zoom event.

For more information go to Meetings/Next Meeting, WALC.net and to register: Registration 

We will be holding a General Business Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday November 18th at 6:30 p.m. Please watch your inbox for an invite!

Continuing Education Webinar 2020 presents Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPA

Thursday, November 5, 9:00 AM – Friday, November 6, 4:00 PM, CST, earn 12 CERPS  

A two day online conference – live webinar sessions as well as recording to be viewed once.

Topics will include:

1. Breastfeeding Makes all the Difference
2. The Impact of Violence in the Perinatal Period
3. A New Paradigm in Depression in New Mothers
4. Nighttime Breastfeeding and PPD/A
5. Birth Trauma
6. Burnout and Compassion Fatigue
7. What We Can Learn from Fed is Best
8. Should this Study Change my Practice

For information, registration options, cost and “link to register via Eventbrite,” go to walc.net Meetings/Next Meeting 

Join us on Friday, September 18, 2020, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Combatting Racial Inequities in Infant Mortalities, Jasmine Zapata, MD, MPH

For more information and to register now go to Meetings/Next Meeting at walc.net  Registrants will receive a link to Zoom event.

Where have the last few months gone!?! The WALC grant application deadline is Monday September 7, 2020. We will consider applications submitted after that date as funding allows. The grant application can be found on our home page under “Scholarships & Grants” https://www.walc.net/application-for-walc-grant/

We encourage you think outside the box. Our families need support and assistance and we need innovative ways to help them! As passionate breastfeeding professionals, we need to find creative ways to create connections and networks of support for families.

Thank you for all you do to support families and please be sure to make time to take care of yourself as well. This is a tough time for all of us. We are stronger together!

Friday, September 18, 2020, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Combatting Racial Inequities in Infant Mortalities, Jasmine Zapata, MD, MPH

Join WALC, Brown County Breastfeeding Coalition and Wisconsin Breastfeeding Coalition for a webinar via Zoom, earn 2 CERPS

In this dynamic and interactive discussion, Dr. Zapata will:

• Share her personal journey as a mother of a critically ill premature infant
• Review current black infant mortality rates in WI
• Discuss root causes of inequities in maternal child health outcomes, including race-based stress
• Explore innovative areas of research and community-based initiatives aimed at reducing these inequities

Registration is limited and required.  Registrants will receive a link to Zoom event.

To register go to Meetings/Next Meeting at walc.net

Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Join WALC for a Webinar via Zoom, earn 1 L CERP

Supporting Breastfeeding During COVID-19, Jenny Thomas, MD, MPH, IBCLC, FAAP, FABM

WALC’s webinar in June with Dr. Thomas was such a success, she has graciously offered to provide the webinar again, update as needed.

Topics will include:

1. Current recommendations from WHO, CDC and AAP for in-hospital care
2. Testing issues: understanding sensitivity and specificity of tests
3. Separation of moms and babies
4. Telehealth and in-person visits

Registration is limited and required.  Registrants will receive a link to Zoom event.

To register go to Meetings/Next Meeting at walc.net

Our WALC Board has been struggling along with the rest of the world to put action to the long standing disparities faced by marginalized families. Words are not enough. Our hearts ache for those oppressed by racism. We are listening and will work to be more inclusive and help to remove barriers moving forward.

The Wisconsin Association of Lactation Consultants (WALC) has grants and scholarship money which are awarded each year. Although grant money has been available to all projects consistent with the purposes of WALC and scholarships have been given to individuals in need, it is not enough. The time has come for WALC to form a committee to address equity and equality among our membership and upcoming breastfeeding supporters. This committee will develop specific wording and commitments regarding funds we offer in grants and scholarships to ensure equitable access to help grow IBCLCs in our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), specifically. These commitments will be made public.

The WALC Board commits to bringing BIPOC members onto our board. None of us can speak for everyone and we want to hear from those that have had their voices silenced. In seeking/inviting/welcoming members of these communities to our table, we strive to send a powerful message to our members. Their presence, and their leadership, will make WALC truly representative of our state.

We invite you to stand beside us in the discomfort that comes with these conversations. We can make a difference together.

Respectfully submitted by the WALC Board June 15, 2020.

Allison Laverty Montag BA, RLC, IBCLC
WALC President

Please feel free to contact me with questions, comments and to express interest in participating in the committee mentioned above. allisonlavmon at gmail.com