microcredential

Indigenous Birthworker— Lactation Support Micro-credential course

The course emphasizes the benefits of breastfeeding and the challenges it may entail. It introduces Indigenous Lactation Support workers as community-based aides for nursing parents, assisting with initiation and troubleshooting. Topics covered include milk production, supply management, and addressing common breastfeeding concerns. These workers play a supportive role, guiding parents and referring them to healthcare providers when needed. This course includes Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language training for effective communication.

Your Career Path

OSHKI-WENJACK’s Indigenous Lactation Support Worker Training Course provides comprehensive education on mental health, trauma-informed care, and the benefits of breastfeeding/chestfeeding. It addresses barriers to lactation and strategies for overcoming them, while also covering the physiology of breastmilk production and proper latching techniques. The course explores how birthing practices impact lactation, offers postnatal and discharge care instructions, and teaches lactation assessment skills. Participants learn about milk supply challenges, breast/chest and nipple conditions, and when medical supplementation may be necessary. Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language training is integrated to honour Indigenous traditions. Participants are equipped to act as essential advocates and supporters within their communities, ensuring that parents receive the guidance and resources needed for successful breastfeeding/chestfeeding journeys.

Curriculum

This course will teach information to help nursing clients to prepare for home or hospital births, early hours of breastfeeding/chestfeeding, early nursing issues, and education for long term breastfeeding/chestfeeding. It will describe the importance of the Baby-friendly Initiative and The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes

Unit 1: Lactation Helps Overcome Intergenerational Trauma

Unit 2: Postpartum Mood Disorders

Unit 3: Barriers to Lactation

Unit 4: How the Body Produces Breastmilk & How to Latch

Unit 5: The Impact of Birthing Practices on Lactation

Unit 6: Postnatal & Discharge Care Instructions to Help Exclusive Nursing

Unit 7: Lactation Assessment

Unit 8: Breast/Chest & Nipple Conditions

Unit 9: Milk Supply Challenges

Unit 10: Medical Reasons for Supplementation

Unit 11: Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding

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Program Information

Program Length: 45-hours of online self-paced content
Start Date: Continuous Intake, start anytime^*
Tuition Fees: Tuition Fee: $600 Textbook Fee: $30 approx. (order separately)

*start dates are subject to change

Other Indigenous Birthworker Micro-Credential Courses at Oshki-Wenjack:

Indigenous Birthworker (Doula)—Pregnancy
Indigenous Birthworker (Doula)—Labour
Indigenous Birthworker (Doula)—Postpartum

Required Texts

The required texts for this course are used by all three Birthworker micro-credential courses (Pregnancy, Labour, and Postpartum). We recommend purchasing both texts prior to beginning your first (Pregnancy) course to give yourself time to familiarize yourself with both texts as you move through your course work, even if we do not engage directly with both of the texts in each of the three courses.

Required text for the Indigenous Birthworker–Labour course is:

Simkin, P., & Rohs, K. (2018). The birth partner: A complete guide to childbirth for dads, partners, doulas, and other labor companions (5th ed.). Harvard Common Press. ISBN 978-1558329102

In this course, you will notice gender neutrality language and inclusive language are often used, but at other times discussion around birth and pregnancy remains gendered. As many of our teachings and readings utilize gendered terms, there are areas we use them as well for ease of reading. Whenever possible, we commit to using gender neutral and inclusive language throughout the Birthworker courses. Using gender inclusive language means using umbrella terms when talking to everyone and the terms specific people identify with when speaking to them individually.

As we move through our course we will devote some time to learning Ojibwe terms, phrases, and questions. The intent of this course is not for you to become a fluent Ojibwe speaker, rather, it is to help you learn useful and relevant phrases and terms to better support future clients. Some units will have a small language section embedded within that unit, while others may not. Additionally, each of our Birthworker courses will have a unit devoted entirely to Ojibwe language components.