All Things Breastfeeding Podcast

Latest Episodes:

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 104: Updates on Exclusive Pumping Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

The All Things Breastfeeding Podcast is a program for both lactation professionals and new and experienced parents. Barbara D. Robertson, MA, IBCLC, owner of LactaLearning and The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor and Jessica Beemsterboer, MEd, IBCLC, who works with Barbara, host the show. Barbara and Jessica share their thoughts and information on All Things Breastfeeding.

**All Things Breastfeeding Episode 102: Interview with Nancy Mohrbacher** Oct 07, 2025
Show notes

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 a volunteer peer-supporter and found her passion: helping families meet their lactation goals.

Board-certified as a lactation consultant in 1991, from 1993 to 2003 Nancy started and grew a large private lactation practice in the Chicago area, where she saw thousands of families. Since then, she’s worked for a major breast-pump company and a national corporate lactation program. Currently, Nancy speaks at events around the world and trains aspiring and recertifying lactation consultants online via LactaLearning.com. She also contracts with hospitals to help improve breastfeeding practices.

Nancy’s mission is to simplify life for new families, many of whom–without realizing it–make breastfeeding more complicated than it needs to be.

To accomplish this mission, Nancy develops innovative lactation education and tools. Her textbooks for lactation specialists, *Breastfeeding Answers, Second Editio*n and its *Pocket Guide*, are used worldwide. Her Natural Breastfeeding Professional Package provides digital resources for professionals for staff training and one-on-one work with families.

Her books for parents include *Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers*, which she co-authored with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, *Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple*, and her tiny troubleshooting guide *Breastfeeding Solutions: Quick Tips for the Most Common Nursing Challenges*. Its companion Breastfeeding Solutions app is used worldwide and is available on the App Store and Google Play. Her YouTube channel is viewed by millions of families.

In 2008 the International Lactation Consultant Association officially recognized Nancy’s contributions to the field of lactation by awarding her the designation FILCA, Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association. Nancy was one of the first group of 16 to be recognized for their lifetime achievements in breastfeeding.

You can follow Nancy on Facebook, Twitter (@BFReporter), Pinterest, and YouTube.

If you work with breast/chestfeeding families and are passionate about lactation support OR you want to turn your passion for nursing into professional practice, check out LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media!

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 102: Interview with Nancy Mohrbacher appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

**All Things Breastfeeding Episode 101: Interview with Kathy Kendall-Tackett** Sep 09, 2025
Show notes

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 of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in women’s-health research including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology. Her research interests include the psychoneuroimmunology of maternal depression and the lifetime health effects of trauma. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Clinical Professor of Nursing at University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Dr. Kendall-Tackett has won several awards for her work including the 2016 Outstanding Service to the Field of Trauma Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association’s Division of Trauma Psychology, the 2011 Community Faculty Award from the Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, and the 2011 John Kennell and Marshall Klaus Award for Excellence in Research from DONA International (with co-recipient, Thomas Hale). She has authored more than 400 articles or chapters, and is currently completing her 35th book, a social history of The Phantom of the Opera. Her most recent books include: Depression in New Mothers, 3rd Edition (2016, Routledge, in press), Psychology of Trauma 101 (2015), The Science of Mother-Infant Sleep (2014), and The Psychoneuroimmunology of Chronic Disease (2010). She is also co-author of the bestselling book, Breastfeeding Made Simple, 2nd Edition (2010). Her websites are UppityScienceChick.com, BreastfeedingMadeSimple.com, KathleenKendall-Tackett.com, and PraeclarusPress.com.

If you work with breast/chestfeeding families and are passionate about lactation support OR you want to turn your passion for breast/chestfeeding into professional practice, check out LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media!

Instagram @lacta.learning

Facebook LactaLearning

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 101: Interview with Kathy Kendall-Tackett appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

**All Things Breastfeeding Episode 100! LactaLearning is 3!** Aug 21, 2025
Show notes

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 2020 (now offered as a self-study program), then developed a self-study 95 hour course, brought LactaLearning to life with its first website, and then comprehensive recertification programs.

Now three years later, they offer lactation courses that are different than anyone else’s. Really, they have set up LactaLearning to be able to meet anyone’s lactation education needs!

They are also celebrating 10 years and 100 episodes of this podcast! Many new podcasts are in the hopper to continue to deliver interesting and informative topics on lactation. Barbara started the podcast in 2015 with the guidance of Barb Demske, then continued with Jessica Beemsterboer, and now Nancy has been added! Busy bees.

With a growing social media following, LactaLearning continues to offer posts on Facebook and Instagram that help keep their followers entertained and up to date on lactation happenings.

LactaLearning is offering a one day seminar on Low Milk Supply on Saturday, October 25th and in the winter of 2026 a new book group, Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple.

Nancy has recently been working on the LactLearning Youtube channel as well to help round things off.
Finally, Barbara and Nancy have launched the newly updated LactaLearning website. Check it out!

Again, as they celebrate three years in business, founders Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher, along with the LactaLearning team, Jessica, Veronica, Heather, Janelle, and Carrie, unveil a new look and introduce easier-than-ever access to all things lactation. With a new glossary of terms, clear class descriptions, and resources designed to empower your lactation journey, we aim to be your go-to resource as you pursue lactation consulting. We invite you to visit lactalearning.com to browse our many options for lactation education. Barbara and Nancy are always available to answer your questions and to make your lactation goals attainable.

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 100! LactaLearning is 3! appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 100: 100th Episode Celebration! Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 99: Interview with Kimberly Seals Allers Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

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 to be able to catch up with Kimberly on All Things Breastfeeding.

From her website: “Veteran journalist and five-time author turned maternal and infant health advocate and femtech founder. A former senior editor at ESSENCE and writer at FORTUNE magazine, I created Irth, as in birth but we dropped the B for bias, as the first-of-its kind, doctor and hospital review & rating platform just for Black and brown women and birthing people. I leveraged decades of media experience and a passion for mothering into a vision and platform to use technology to amplify community voices to address racism and bias in Black maternal and infant care. Irth is a non-profit project of my 501C3, Narrative Nation, which also produces the Birthright podcast, where I share positive Black birthing stories as a direct counter to the doom and gloom narrative too common in mainstream media coverage of Black maternal health.”

Kimberly’s new project has been connecting families with a maternal loss at birth with a human milk bank so the baby can receive human milk for the beginning of their life. So powerful. Human Milk Justice for Infants “Powered by HMBANA & Kimberly Seals Allers. The Restoration Project (TRP) is an innovative national response mechanism that addresses the nutritional needs of newborns who have lost their mothers due to pregnancy-related deaths. A partnership between the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and Kimberly Seals Allers, this initiative builds a nationwide network to collect and distribute donor milk to medically and economically vulnerable populations. Human milk is critical for infant health. TRP ensures that infants impacted by childbirth-related maternal loss receive compassionate care and immediate access to human milk, the best first food for an infant’s health and development.”

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 99: Interview with Kimberly Seals Allers appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

**All Things Breastfeeding Episode 98: Relactation and Induced Lactation** Aug 08, 2025
Show notes

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 mothers and other birthing parents who delivered the current baby. This differs from the broader definition used in the 2020 *Breastfeeding Answers* and other lactation textbooks, which includes anyone who had ever given birth to any baby. Due to the breast-tissue growth during pregnancy, this previous definition assumed those who had ever given birth had an advantage in bringing in milk. **Now, establishing milk production by anyone who did not give birth to the current baby is defined as induced lactation.**
Bringing in full milk production for a baby the parent did not birth is not easy but it can be done. However, thinking of nursing in terms of “all or nothing” is particularly unhelpful. Any nursing can be beneficial for the parent and the baby. Any human milk the baby receives is positive. At the end of this Module, you will find many induced lactation resources. One of the best is Breastfeeding Without Birthing, a book by Alyssa Schnell, an easy read and loaded with information. Here are some possible strategies for inducing lactation.

Before the baby arrives

One option is an induced lactation protocol using birth control pills and other medications and/or herbs, although these protocols have not been formally studied https://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/induced-lactation

Another option is taking galactagogues during the month before the baby is due

Consider improving gut health to improve milk production

Consider beginning a pumping schedule to maximize milk production.

For the adopted babies, breastfeeding more than just something nice to do http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/pdf/1746-4358-1-5.pdf

Once the baby arrives, have the baby’s overall weight checked once a week to ensure proper gain and consider pre and post weights until milk supple is fully established and baby is exclusively nursing.

Spend lots of time with the baby skin to skin as soon as possible. Get comfy in a starter position and enjoy! It will help remind the babies about breastfeeding and trigger inborn feeding behaviours. https://vimeo.com/user64721573

Make sure the baby latches deeply. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvA-nXVp0esv3Y0TmZ-Q87Amv-4Ylbda/view

If the baby is nursing, consider supplementing the babies at the breast using a supplemental nursing system or a Lactaid https://youtu.be/-mDeRb_iGD4

If using bottles, consider paced bottle feeding. See Module VII.A.1 for more on this.

Until baby is nursing, consider finger feeding.

Induced lactation websites and resources:

Alyssa Schnell- Best one in our opinion https://alyssaschnellibclc.mykajabi.com/

Podcast (45 min.) hour) with Alyssa Schnell, Getting Off to a Good Start with Inducing Lactation/Relactation: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/042-getting-started-with-inducing-lactation-relactation/id1078526428?i=1000429588067

Podcast with Alyssa Schnell about her book https://bfcaa.com/all-things-breastfeeding-episode-13-breastfeeding-without-birthing-with-alyssa-schnell/

The biology of the induced lactation in a nutshell https://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/induced-lactation/an-introduction-to-induced-lactation/biology-of-induced-lactation

https://kellymom.com/ages/adopt-relactate/relactation-resources/

https://www.canadianbreastfeedingfoundation.org/induced/accelerated_protocol.shtml

https://breastfeedingusa.org/breastfeeding-your-adopted-baby/

https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/relactation-and-induced-lactation

Nice blog on Re-lactation http://lactationmatters.org/2012/11/29/providing-support-for-mothers-who-wish-to-relactate/

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 98: Relactation and Induced Lactation appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 102: Interview with Nancy Mohrbacher Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 98: Relactation and Induced Lactation Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

All Things Breastfeeding Episode 97: Interview with Kay Hoover Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

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, and in public health.

From the introduction to The Breastfeeding Atlas, 7th Ediction, Kay…”retired from her hospital job as a lactation consultant at the end of 2019. During the pandemic she provided many on-line presentations to maintain her career-long commitment to educating the next generation of lactation consultants. Kay became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1985 and was recognized as a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association in 2008.

During her career she served as a lactation consultant for four different hospitals. Kay was also employed as a lactation consultant by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the Breastfeeding Awareness and Support Program, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in the Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health, and the Center of Childhood Obesity Research at the Pennsylvania State University. In addition, she maintained a private practice for over 20 years. Kay has an international reputation as a lecturer, author, and clinical photographer.

Since 1971 she has been a La Leche League Leader and a member of the Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition since its inception in 1992. She served for six years on the Board of Directors of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Kay and Charlie, her husband of 55 years, raised their sons, Douglas, Steven, and David, in the Philadelphia area and are the grandparents of Daniel, Eric, and Robert.”

Articles Kay referred to:

Vazirinejad R, Darakhshan S, Esmaeili A, et al. The effect of maternal breast variations on neonatal weight gain in the first seven days of life. International Breastfeeding Journal Nov 2009 https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4358-4-13

Claesson IM, Larsson L, Steen L, et al. “You just need to leave the room when you breastfeed” Breastfeeding experiences among obese women in Sweden – A qualitative study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18(1):39, 2018 https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-017-1656-2

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 97: Interview with Kay Hoover appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

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