Tag Archives | Melbourne

ILCA Conference Highlights – SATURDAY

By lactationmatters on 27 July 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

Saturday at the ILCA 2013 Conference was the day for MOVING & GROOVING! Attendees got their early morning exercise with a bit of “shift and squish” with Pat Martens, as she explained both the techniques of quality research as well as the incredible body of evidence that supports breastfeeding. Her talk was followed by the “ever energetic” Liz Brooks who entertained and educated us all on how to ethically and thoughtfully support today’s modern family. Morning tea with poster presentations, a 2nd amazing plenary with Dr. Howard Chilton, and a fantastic boxed lunch rounded out the early part of the day. The remainder of the day was spent in a wide variety of concurrent sessions on a number of exciting topics.

We were also able to celebrate with the presentation of the inaugural Patricia Martens Award for Excellence in Breastfeeding Research, award by the Journal of Human Lactation, to none other than…(drum roll, please)…Patricia Martens! Dr. Anne Merewood gave an inspiring insight into the impact that Dr. Martens has had on the work that we all do with mothers and baby. Congratulations, Patricia Martens!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o196LOZ79Wg&w=640&h=480]
No matter where you are in the world, you can be a part of the action but using the #ilca2013 hashtag on Twitter or you can follow the live Twitter stream HERE.

ILCA Conference Highlights – FRIDAY

By lactationmatters on 26 July 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

Dr. Nils Bergman

What a fantastic day! We began our morning with the annual Parade of Flags and a traditional aboriginal welcome from a representative of Warundjeri Council. She is the youngest of 16 children and said “there was a lot of breastfeeding going on in our home”! We were also treated to research, thoughts, and hilarious moments with Nils Bergman, who shared of the neuroscience of birth and breastfeeding, Linda Smith who wowed (and frightened) us about how current birth practices dramatically impact breastfeeding, and Howard Chilton who encouraged us to think about how we feed infants and the impact it has on their future health and risk for obesity.

4 ILCA Presidents, past and present: Liz Brooks, Cathy Carothers, Sallie Page-Goetz, and Jan Barger

After a very flavorful lunch, it was on to a full afternoon and early evening of concurrent sessions. It was exciting to hear conversations in the hallways of all the wonderful information being learned. We even got to catch up with some great groups of people in conversation, including four ILCA presidents, both past and current, all in one place!

No matter where you are in the world, you can be a part of the action but using the #ilca2013 hashtag on Twitter or you can follow the live Twitter stream HERE.

ILCA Conference Highlights – THURSDAY

By lactationmatters on 25 July 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

ILCA Speaker Cathy Carothers

ILCA’s 2013 Conference kicked off in a big way on Thursday, July 25th with 5 tracks of workshops highlighting communication techniques, research, clinical practice, professional practice, and clinical skills. At break times, attendees were abuzz with new information, new ways of connecting with breastfeeding families, and new ideas to take home. Speakers such as Cathy Carothers, Nils Bergman, Liz Brooks, and Linda Smith helped keep us all on the edges of our seats.

Our new friend, Matilda the Koala

The day concluded with a fantastic President’s Social and the opening of our exhibition hall. The highlight for everyone was the visiting zoo which included a koala, black-headed python, tawny frogmouth, blue penguin, and a wallaby. No matter where you are in the world, you can be a part of the action but using the #ilca2013 hashtag on Twitter or you can follow the live Twitter stream HERE.

2013 ILCA Conference Materials Available Online

By lactationmatters on 1 July 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

For the first time, ILCA conference materials are available to ALL MEMBERS and not just to those registered to attend the conference. Access materials NOW with your computer or your mobile device!

Conference Materials Online

Find speaker materials and other conference information online at our new conference website. Your link to Table of Contents brings all session materials to your finger tips. With the push of a button you can preview speaker presentations and download materials. Click on Author Index to learn more about the speakers and see the sessions they will present. Those who will join us in Melbourne can also click on more handy links along the right side of the page to help you prepare for conference week. Free wireless will be available in the meeting rooms at the Convention Centre for those who wish to get online.

Stay in Touch with Our Mobile App!

For the first time at an ILCA Conference you will have access to conference materials through your mobile device! Search the app store for ILCA 2013 on your android, iPhone or tablet device to download your conference app. You can then refer to your mobile device at any time during conference week to stay in touch with all the events.

Most of the app features are live now! Clicking on the Schedule icon brings you to the Full Schedule with links to each event. Conference registrants can even build your own Itinerary of all the events you want to attend. The File Library will be live by the end of the week and will contain all presentation materials submitted by speakers. Those coming to Melbourne can acquaint yourselves with all the features of the 2013 ICLA Conference app before you arrive. Click on the links to see how easy it will be to keep your finger on the pulse of the conference!

Melbourne 101: Everything You Need to Know to Fall in Love with our 2013 ILCA Conference City!

By lactationmatters on 15 May 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

By Iona Macnab, BA(Hons), LLB, IBCLC

Melbourne – where to start?! On the banks of the Yarra River, of course – where for 30,000 years the Wurundjeri tribe (part of the Kulin nation) knew the river as Birrarrung, the “Place of Mists and Shadows”. The Yarra River appears to flow upside down (you’ll see why when you get here), and has always been an important focal point for the city of Melbourne. When white settlers arrived on the riverbank in 1835, John Batman famously declared: “This will be the place for a village”. The Immigration museum now stands on the place where he landed. Melbourne grew rapidly with the influx of people hoping for good fortune in the Gold Rush of the 1850s, and by the 1880s was known as Marvellous Melbourne. Investments were made into the wide street grid and the grand architecture of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD); the Town Hall, banks, churches and the iconic main rail terminus at Flinders Street all still stand as a reminder of those affluent days and add a distinct European charm to Melbourne. You can find a fascinating piece of old Melbourne footage by clicking HERE.

Photo by edwin.11 via Flick Creative Commons

The trams running through the middle of Melbourne’s central business district streets still serve the community as a major and much loved mode of transport. One tram is the free circle tram, which travels around the outer rim of the CBD, and anyone can hop on and off anytime. It provides a great way to enjoy a brief glimpse of the city for the time-limited lactation consultant! Melbourne’s cultural life maintains a riverside focus – the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Arts Centre with concert halls and theatres, Federation Square, and Flinders Street Station are all a stone’s throw away from Batman’s original landing point. Federation Square offers Qigong for everyone on Fridays at 8am! The NGV is hosting its annual Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition and this year ILCA delegates will be able to enjoy Monet’s Garden from The Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris. Close by, ACMI Moving Image Museum has an exhibition of Hollywood film costumes. The great expanse of the Royal Botanic Gardens and its running track “The Tan” are all within easy reach for fitness enthusiasts.

Photo by Karthick R via Flickr Creative Commons

One of my favorite places along the Yarra river bank is the quaint congregation of rowing sheds including the historic Melbourne University Boat House built in 1909, home to Melbourne University Boat Club, the oldest rowing club in Australia. Every morning and evening the river comes alive with rowers in eights, fours and sculls – seeing them always brings back memories for me of my university rowing days, passing under Melbourne’s many beautiful bridges, rowing with freezing, blistered hands at 5:30am during winter training!

Photo via WikiMedia

The 2013 ILCA conference in the Convention Centre is but a short paddle downstream from the boatsheds, alongside the Southbank River Promenade lined with a myriad of bustling cafés and restaurants, most with outdoor heating – perfect for Melbourne’s crisp sunny winter days. Trying your luck in Crown Casino may have a certain appeal, but for crafty IBCLCs, the Convention Centre is also hosting a massive craft fair the same weekend as ILCA and you may be able to squeeze some beautiful Aussie yarns into your suitcase.

Photo by ultrakmi via Flickr Creative Commons

Melbourne is considered a city for foodies. You will not leave hungry. In fact you may even gain a few happy pounds with the diversity of food available and the café culture we have going here. Local coffee shops even cater for toddlers, with “baby chinos”: frothy milk in a small cup to match mum’s real cappuccino or latte. A short tram ride to the bustling Queen Victoria Market is a feast for the senses, with traditional delicatessens mixed with rows and rows of fresh produce. Sunday markets are also full of Australiana for those looking for sheepskin boots or Melbourne T shirts as souvenirs. The market also has the best fresh jam doughnuts sold from the original 1950’s van!

Photo by Luke Dirkin via Flick Creative Commons

Melbourne is the birthplace of Australian Rules football. A rough and tumble game with rules that mystify visitors and goalkeepers who have a unique sign language, for the sports connoisseur it’s worth going along to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (the MCG) to hear the enthusiastic crowds “barracking” for their teams. Collingwood is a particularly popular team, and they are playing at the MCG on the last weekend of July. You can combine an MCG tour of the stadium and its history with a match and a visit to the National Sports Museum.

Photo by fk-foto via Flickr Creative Commons

If you are making a big Aussie adventure of your trip to ILCA 2013, you might have time for a trip down the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 Apostles, impressive rock stacks down the coast, featured on almost every Australian calendar! Winery tours abound with plenty of opportunities to taste a few good drops, but no trip is really complete without seeing koalas and kangaroos – Healesville Sanctuary, or closer to the city, the Royal Melbourne Zoo are the must-visit places for wildlife.

Photo by JohnvW via Flickr Creative Commons

For fans of the long-running TV drama show “Neighbours” , you can also take a Ramsay Street tour to see the set. If, however, shopping is how you best spend your free time, then jump on the free shuttle bus from the city to Chadstone, the biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere! Or stay close to the Convention centre with a visit to the DFO Outlet Mall right next door! Bourke St Mall in the centre of Melbourne has the famous department stores Myer and David Jones. Aussies have immortalized Myers in the expression “he has more front than Myers!” (meaning someone is overly forward), perhaps in a nod to the expanse of Myer windows which host novel Christmas displays each year. Buskers are often found in the Bourke St Mall which is closed to car traffic, but beware of the trams passing through!

While ILCA is the BEST reason to come to visit Melbourne in winter, there is certainly no shortage of other things to do and see while you are here. The journey may be long, but the friendly welcome that awaits, the great food, sights and memories will be amazing. Make that once-in-a-lifetime trip, come down under, hang out with your distant IBCLC cousins and go home enriched and refreshed! No worries mate, it’s all good!

Iona Macnab BA(Hons) LLB IBCLC Lactation consultant in private practice, co-founder of the iLactation and iMothering online conferences, and owner of Feed Baby Sleep®, an exclusively skype-based lactation practice. Iona will be presenting on her skype experiences at ILCA 2013 on Friday July 26 th.

Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2013 ILCA Conference!

By lactationmatters on 26 February 2013 in ILCA 2013 Conference

The ILCA™ Annual Conference is the premier lactation education and professional development event of the year. The Conference provides a rich learning environment for lactation professionals, midwives, child and family health nurses, general practitioners, physicians, dieticians and nutritionists, breastfeeding counsellors, researchers, pharmacists, nurses, doulas, policy advocates and other advocates who assist mothers and babies with breastfeeding. It offers current and aspiring International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® (IBCLC®) information on cutting-edge evidence-based practice and research in optimal breastfeeding care and support for mothers and babies.

Registration is NOW OPEN!

We hope that you will join us in beautiful Melbourne, Australia for this year’s conference.

What We LOVE About Australia!

By lactationmatters on 13 December 2012 in ILCA 2013 Conference

The exciting news is that the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) is headed DOWN UNDER to Melbourne, Australia for its 28th Annual Conference in July 2013.

The conference is July 25-28 2013 and Lactation Matters, over the next months, will give you a taste of what’s in store for you as you travel to the jam-packed 4 day conference. We will share some local knowledge to make sure you get the best value for the time you have in Australia.

You can start preparing, even now by:

SAVE YOUR MONEY. Begin planning who you will travel with, how long you will stay, and what your budget will be.
Request time off from your employer.
Begin talking with travel agents or researching airfares and hotel arrangements.
Remember that our conference will be during Australia’s winter so prepare your wardrobe…and don’t forget, the beaches are only a short flight away!

We did a quick poll of some of ILCA’s Board of Directors about what they love most about Australia and Australians.

Some of their responses might be identical to yours!

Australians have really cool accents.
They have nerves of steel, given all the poisonous flora and fauna found only on their continent.
Melbourne is a destination location for coffee lovers.
They aren’t offended when you ask about their ancestors’ criminal past! Because of the culture’s convict history, they aren’t easily fooled.
They make fantastic movies! *
We love Australian’s direct approach, frankness and relaxed attitude.
The country’s indigenous culture and amazing ancient rock carvings are spectacular.
Australian wines (especially Tasmanian Point Noir)!
The fun ways they use the English language and unique phrases like saying that something going “down the gurgler”.
The fact that their toilets flush in the opposite direction!
They love to have fun all the time!

Make your plans now to join us in July!

* Editor’s Note – We encourage those travelling to Australia to check out the movie “The Sapphires”. Ian Heads (spouse of Joy Heads, ILCA’s Director of Global Outreach, who hails from Australia) says, “Based on the real events first captured in a hit stage play, The Sapphires might just be the “feel good’ movie of the year”. It is a genuine Aussie yarn, telling the story of four Aboriginal girls who got together to form a singing group in country Australia in 1968 – and ended up going to Vietnam to entertain the troops. The film is sassy, bright, breezy and often hilarious – and the music is toe-tappingly wonderful. The Sapphires doesn’t dodge serious issues of the time – but you’ll come out with spirits uplifted, having been mightily entertained.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ljho1cyEfg&w=560&h=315]

Plan to Join Us at ILCA’s 2013 Conference in Melbourne, Australia

By lactationmatters on 20 November 2012 in ILCA News

The ILCA Annual Conference, July 25-28, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia, provides a rich learning environment for lactation professionals and others who assist mothers and babies with breastfeeding. It offers current and aspiring lactation consultants information on cutting-edge lactation practices and research to equip you in giving optimal breastfeeding care and support to mothers and babies.

We have lined up some of the very best speakers in the field including:

Nils Bergman, MB, ChB, MPH, MD from Cape Town, South Africa. Nils is an expert and popular speaker on skin-to-skin contact and the underlying neuroscience.

Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC, FILCA from Pennsylvania, USA. Liz is a private practice IBCLC, one of many car accident lawyers, author, and speaker on legal/ethics issues in addition to being our ILCA President.

Howard Chilton MBBS, MRCP(UK), DCH from Sydney, Australia. Dr. Chilton is a neonatal paediatrician, author, and leading baby doctor in Australia.

Patricia Martens, IBCLC, PhD, FILCA from Manitoba, Canada. She is a Professor at the University of Manitoba, public health scientist, and popular speaker on breastfeeding research.

Linda J. Smith, MPH, IBCLC, FACCE, FILCA from Ohio, USA where she is an author, teacher and popular speaker on birthing and infant sleep practices.

Watch this space for more information in the coming months. Also, join us at www.ilca.org!