9 L-CERPs

Beyond Lactation

Advanced Breast Health Insights for Lactation Professionals

Christine Staricka BS, IBCLC, RLC, CLSP, CE, FILCA

Early Bird Pricing ($150) through 1/9/2025

Course description
Mainstream information about the human breast is almost entirely confined to discussion of breast cancer and breastfeeding. Most lactation consultants, though comprehensively trained in the process of lactation, do not routinely study anything else about breast health. To better understand the physiological context in which breasts develop, lactate, involute, harbor potential threats, and change over time, a deeper lens is needed.

This course will prepare the learner to more fully understand and educate their clients about the breast and its health and nurture needs as part of the more extensive human biological system, practices that optimize the potential to maintain healthy breast tissue for life, and how to position the importance of the lactation as a critical healthcare need.

Meet your instructor

Christine Staricka

BS, IBCLC, RLC, CLSP, CE, FILCA

Christine is the author of the book Evolving the Modern Breastfeeding Experience: Holistic Lactation Care in the First 100 Hours. She developed the concept when she worked as a hospital-based IBCLC for 10 years. Christine hosts the Evolve Lactation Podcast and writes a blog on Substack called Evolve Lactation. 

All learners will get feedback from Christine!

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Christine has over 23 years experience providing clinical lactation care and support both in the hospital and the community. She has been the facilitator of Baby Café Bakersfield since 2014, which was the first licensed Baby Café to open in California. Christine is a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Phoenix. She has been married for 30 years, lives in California, and is the proud mother of 3 amazing daughters. You can find more information about Christine and access free resources and downloads at www.ChristineStaricka.com. 

Learner access opens: December 26, 2025

Learner access closes: April 3, 2025

"I have been walking with my mother through her breast cancer and mastectomy journey over the past 18 months. As a lactation consultant for more than 2 decades, I was appalled at the disconnection of information about breast health, lactation, and breast cancer. I came to realize how little I knew about the breasts outside of the lactation experience, and I feel it's incredibly important that we expand as lactation consultants and grow our ability to influence people's health through information and guidance on keeping breasts healthy throughout the lifespan."
- Christine Staricka

Christine is one of our most popular conference speakers!

Learners say 

This was a fantastic and thorough presentation that filled a major gap in my knowledge as an IBCLC. Thanks to Christine Staricka, I feel more prepared to be an effective advocate for preterm and complex infants and their families. 

Hannah Johnson, BSN, RN, IBCLC

This was one of the best presentations I’ve seen, it translates so well to clinical practice, creating a flow for differentiating issues, and creating a clear care plan and referrals. 

Kate DeWolf, IBCLC

Christine was very well-spoken and had great advice on managing recurrent plugged ducts, blebs, and mastitis

Rachel Supercinski, IBCLC

Start learning now!

Knowledge Gap
Lactation consultants are currently not required to demonstrate knowledge of current advances in knowledge about breast adipose tissue and its impacts on lactation, how injury to the breast potentially damages structures and health potential, the influence of environmental exposures on the breast itself, what practices and behaviors have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, how to discuss the temporarily increased risk of breast cancer in the postpartum person, what is known about how the rate and timing of post-lactational weaning involution impact potential breast health and cancer risk, how bone density changes during lactation and menopause, how clients can best navigate the intersection of lactation and perimenopause, and the changes in the breast associated with aging.
Objectives

01

The learner will be able to identify three recent advances in the understanding of the function of breast structures.

02

The learner will be able to describe important behaviors or practices for optimizing breast health at distinct points along the lifespan: adolescence, reproductive age range, whether parous or nulliparous, post-weaning if parous, and during perimenopause and menopause.

03

The learner will be able to list three facts lactation clients need to know about what to expect to observe in their breasts as they age.
IBLCE Content Outline
I Development and Nutrition
II Physiology and Endocrinology
III Pathology

Course Lessons

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