The Breastfeeding Network offers a 12 week breastfeeding training course with healthcare professionals in mind. The ‘Supporting infant feeding in your practice’ course provides the most up-to-date breastfeeding information, ensuring that families can get the support that they need in relation to their breastfeeding choices.
The 12 week online learning course, which is endorsed by OCN (London) uses a combination of e-learning, forum discussions, video calls, and ongoing support from a Breastfeeding Network Tutor. The maximum class size is 12, giving each trainee personal support. Trainees will also be offered a smaller-group session with at most two peers, to improve their practical skills.
Participants also receive a complimentary Friends of BfN membership for one year, along with discounted entry to the BfN virtual conference in October.
The overall aim of the course is to provide the knowledge and skills to effectively support parents to breastfeed and the confidence to effectively signpost for further support.
The learning outcomes for trainees that complete the course are to:
- Understand how breastfeeding works and why it is important
- Understand the importance of using evidence-based information when supporting breastfeeding mothers and parents.
- Understand research findings relating to infant feeding.
- Understand initiatives to protect and support breastfeeding in the UK and the wider world/globally
- Understand the context of confidentiality and boundaries when supporting parents to breastfeed
- Understand the difference between providing information and giving advice, and the importance of not diagnosing any breastfeeding related issues.
- Recognise the appropriate use of active listening skills.
- Understand the importance of pain-free and effective breastfeeding, including the difference between what is common and what is normal.
- Recognise optimum posture, positioning and attachment.
- Recognise posture, positioning, approach and attachment that may lead to ineffective feeding.
- Understand and use the ‘hands off’ technique to help a breastfeeding parent and baby achieve better attachment.
- Understand the need to deal sensitively when helping with attachment issues, maintaining a compassionate and respectful approach.
- Understand how to express and store breastmilk.
- Understand how to support families who choose to combination feed and/or use bottles to feed their baby expressed breastmilk
- Additional e-module available: Recognise the signs and symptoms of thrush and be able to signpost breastfeeding mothers and parents to the most appropriate support.
Topics covered:
- Introduction: Getting to know you and feeding babies in our society
- How breastfeeding works and why it matters
- Active listening and sharing experiences
- Breastfeeding in the UK and the World
- Helping mothers and parents to breastfeed
- Boundaries and confidentiality
- Introduction to research
- Feeding babies when separated from their mother and parents
- Helping a mother and parents achieve pain-free feeds
- Optional e-modules: Thrush
Course price: £350.00
We are taking bookings for our next course. Please go here to sign up. If this course does not work for you, please go here to register your interest, and we will contact you when the next course has been scheduled.