Please join us for a day-long seminar on Breastfeeding Without Birth: Inducing, Maintaining and Relactating with Alyssa Schnell on November 18, 2019 from 9 AM to 3:45 PM at the California Endowment.

Alyssa Schnell, will begin the day with The Unique Needs of Non-Gestational Nursing Parents: Adoption, Surrogacy, LGBTQ+ and More specifically addressing how understanding as best we can the unique needs of these extraordinary parents can go a long way towards being an inclusive lactation practice. Next, An Individualized Approach to Inducing Lactation we will discuss how lactation occurs when it doesn’t immediately follow birth, tools and techniques involved in each step, timing of the three steps, and what degree of lactation can be expected. Next, Relactation: Resuming Milk Production after Days, Weeks, or Even Months will help the listener understand when and why a parent may wish to relactate, what to expect, and the specific tools and techniques to resume milk production.After lunch, Alyssa will dive in to ReLATCHtation: Transitioning from Bottle-feeding to At-Breast/Chest Feeding this presentation discusseses how to know if baby is ready to breastfeed, setting the stage for success, and the process of gentle transitioning from bottle to breast/chest.. Finally Tools for Supplementing Breastfeeding will discuss at-breast supplementation, finger-feeding, and bottle-feeding techniques that support breastfeeding so that they can select a supplementation tool that supports their needs, their babies’ needs and overall breastfeeding success.

Allyssa Schnell,  has been helping parents and babies with breastfeeding for the past 17 years and she has been accredited as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 2009. Her private practice, Sweet Pea Breastfeeding Support, provides individual lactation consultations either in person or by phone or videoconference for parents throughout the United States and beyond. Alyssa is also the co-host of the Breastfeeding Outside the Box podcast devoted to families breastfeeding in extraordinary situations. Alyssa enjoys working with all parents and babies, but she has an extra special place in her heart for helping non-birthing parents to breastfeed their babies. She is the author of Breastfeeding Without Birthing: A Breastfeeding Guide for Mothers Through Adoption, Surrogacy, and Other Special Circumstances and is an international speaker on the topics of inducing lactation, relactation, and other related topics. Alyssa is the proud mother of three breastfed children, two by birth and one by adoption.

Presentation #1:The Unique Needs of Non-Gestational Nursing Parents: Adoption, Surrogacy, LGBTQ+ and More

Every parent deserves the opportunity to breastfeed – even if that parent did not birth their baby.  And as professionals, it is important to recognize that these parents will come to us with some unique needs and circumstances.  They are likely to have health histories that are different than gestational parents.  They may have difficult feelings about their path to parenthood or about their gender identity. The timing of their baby’s arrival may be unknown until weeks or days beforehand.  They may be sharing the nursing role with a partner.  They can expect to need to supplement their milk production.  And of course, they won’t have the hormones of pregnancy to initiate lactation.  Understanding as best we can the unique needs of these extraordinary parents can go a long way towards being an inclusive lactation practice.

Presentation #2: An Individualized Approach to Inducing Lactation

Can a parent who did not birth their baby make milk for that baby? They certainly can, and it is happening in more and more families.   Non-birthing parents may be adoptive, intended (through surrogacy), the partner of the birthing parent, and/or trans-female.  While there are generic protocols for inducing lactation, customizing an approach to match the specific health history, circumstances, values and priorities of the parent will result in a plan to best meet their needs.  A personalized protocol for inducing lactation can be developed for each parent using 3 basic steps or less.  In this presentation, we will discuss how lactation occurs when it doesn’t immediately follow birth, tools and techniques involved in each step, timing of the three steps, and what degree of lactation can be expected.

Presentation #3: Relactation: Resuming Milk Production after Days, Weeks, or Even Months

When is it too late to breastfeed a baby? Sometimes parents regret the decision not to breastfeed. Sometimes they discontinue breastfeeding and feel it was too soon. For various reasons, parents may wish to resume lactation.  Although it isn’t as easy to make milk without the hormones of pregnancy kicking things off, it is very possible for parents who haven’t lactated for days, weeks, or months to begin to produce milk once again.  This presentation was developed to help the listener understand when and why a parent may wish to relactate, what to expect, and the specific tools and techniques to resume milk production.

Presentation #4: ReLATCHtation: Transitioning from Bottle-feeding to At-Breast/Chest Feeding

Newborn babies are hardwired for breastfeeding:  their newborn instincts direct them to latching at the breast/chest.  But what about older babies who are currently exclusively bottle-feeding – can they learn to breastfeed too?  A birthing parent may wish to initiate or resume breastfeeding after choosing not to breastfeed or discontinuing breastfeeding.  An adoptive or foster parent may be placed with an older baby or toddler whom they wish to nurse.  With patience, persistence, support, and some tools and tricks, it can be possible.  This presentation discusses how to know if baby is ready to breastfeed, setting the stage for success, and the process of gentle transitioning from bottle to breast/chest.

Presentation #5: Tools for Supplementing Breastfeeding

While most nursing parents hope to produce enough milk to meet their babies’ needs, sometimes it just isn’t possible. For a variety of reasons including a  difficult start with breastfeeding, breast/chest surgery, insufficient glandular tissue, adoption, surrogacy, and LGBTQ non-gestational breastfeeding, supplementation may be necessary either temporarily or for the duration of breastfeeding.  While most parents assume supplementation means bottle-feeding, as lactation professionals we can educate the parents we work with about additional options.  We can educate parents about at-breast supplementation, finger-feeding, and bottle-feeding techniques that support breastfeeding so that they can select a supplementation tool that supports their needs, their babies’ needs and overall breastfeeding success.