Advanced Lactation Program
Become the best lactation specialist you can be
with Paola as your mentor.
Advanced Lactation Program: Clinical
Skills & Private Practice Tools
An intensive online program with self-paced learning and one-on-one mentoring,
where you will gain all the clinical skills and knowledge you need to provide
excellent care to your patients and to level-up your lactation practice.
About your mentor.
Paola is a lactation consultant with over 10 years of medical
background and extensive clinical experience in Lactation
Medicine.
She is an Internationally Educated Physician, a Certified
Breastfeeding Specialist and an International Board
Certified Lactation Consultant, the gold standard
certification for health professionals working with
breastfeeding families. Paola also holds a Diploma in Child
Nutrition and is currently taking a Diploma in Pediatric &
Perinatal Clinical Nutrition. She's always updating her
knowledge with continuing education and she's also
certified as a Sleep Specialist, a Craniosacral Therapist
and a Baby-Led Weaning Educator. She's been an IBCLC
mentor for years, guiding students towards the IBCLC
certification.
About the program
As a doctor with knowledge of breastfeeding, Paola always assumed she'd be well-
prepared to breastfeed her baby when the time came. However, she encountered
unexpected challenges that made breastfeeding more complex than she had anticipated.
Despite seeking help from various health professionals, she ultimately had to independently
research and address her breastfeeding difficulties. With unwavering support from her
husband and access to different resources, she was able to successfully overcome her
obstacles.
This experience led Paola to recognize the vital role of lactation specialists in maternal
and child health care. Consequently, she undertook training to become a lactation specialist
herself, identifying the need for improved education and updated practices within the field.
She saw that teaching other healthcare workers about breastfeeding would have a greater
impact. She then became an IBCLC mentor to help others become lactation consultants and
she has been a mentor for years now.
As much as she loves one-on-one mentoring, Paola's availability became very limited for one-
on-one clinical mentoring. Despite this limitation, she still really wanted to help more people
who needed her advice.
So she decided to create this amazing mentorship program, offering professionals not just
advanced clinical skills, but also equipping them with the necessary tools for running a
successful private practice. This program empowers lactation consultants to excel not only in
their careers but also as savvy business owners.
It's one thing to find educational training but a completely different story when you actually start seeing patients on your own and you face the challenges of a private practice! Charting, insurance, creating treatment plans, time management, balancing work and family life, and spending thousands of dollars in continuing education to keep up with all the changes in the lactation world.
Her training program emphasizes essential subjects to fully equip specialists in this
rewarding profession. This program will help you support patients individually, lead breastfeeding groups, and teach breastfeeding classes. Plus, you can complete the lessons online whenever you want, at your own speed!
If you are looking to…
Provide top-notch care that makes you the lactation consultant everyone recommends
Start your private practice or level up your existing business
Have more clarity and confidence when providing care
Take bigger leaps and achieve your goals
… then perhaps this is your sign to take that next step.
Ready to take that next step?
Module 1: Clinical Management of Low Milk Supply &
Supplementation
Weight gain of the breastfed baby, how to interpret growth charts
Early supplementation and low milk supply. Investigating low milk supply.
Syndrome of decreasing milk supplySupplementation. Assisted nursing. Bottle-feeding skills.
Optimizing Pumping: breast pumps, pump settings, flange fitting, creating
pumping plans
Module 2: Complex Infant Feeding Challenges: Tongue-ties, Oral
Dysfunction and Complex Cases
Infant oral anatomy and diagnostic skills for tongue-ties and oral dysfunction
Oral habilitation and bodywork as part of the lactation care plan: when and
how to incorporate it to our treatment planOptimal Timing for Frenectomies: How to create a treatment plan for tongue-
tied babies & how to provide adequate lactation support pre and post
frenectomyBottle refusal and non-latching babies. Working with fussy babies. Oral
aversion.
Module 3: Clinical Management of Maternal Complications
Clinical Management of Breast Pain: engorgement, oversupply, ductal
narrowing and mastitis spectrum.Clinical Management of Nipple Pain: how to investigate the causes and how to
treat it. Nipple healing. How to adapt the care plan to the parent's goals and
toleranceNaturopathic Approaches to Mastitis
Therapeutic Breast Massage
Therapeutic Ultrasound for Clogged Ducts
Module 4: Supporting Parents of Older Infants and Toddlers
Weaning: from the theory to the practice: different approaches and how to
create plansStarting Solids: how to educate and guide parents on balancing breastfeeding,
supplementation and solid meals; meal balancing and meal planningSleep & Well-being in the breastfeeding dyad: normal infant sleep, parent
expectations and how sleep consultants can support families as a whole with a
holistic approach
Module 5: Charting and Providing Extended Support
Creating Individualized Lactation Care Plans
Strategies to Provide Virtual Support
Home Visits: everything you need to know to provide high-quality at-home
supportIn-Clinic Consultations: office setup and logistics
Charting templates for initial and follow-up consultations, consent forms,
strategies to collect payments and using the right softwareInsurance
Words Matter: The Power of Inclusive and Expansive Language in Supporting
Lactating Parents
Module 6: Level-Up Your Lactation Private Practice
Business Coaching: goal mapping, accountability and building a team
Me.E.O. – Be the CEO of Your Life! – By Carla Catherwood
Finances: service fees, setting financial goals, income planning and money management
Marketing: ads and strategies to bring more leads
Selling Online Courses
Teaching Group Classes
Managing Support Groups
Leadership
Mentoring: how to become a mentor, how to build a mentorship plan, contract template and tips on how to run your programs
What you will get
✔ 60+ HOURS OF LACTATION-SPECIFIC EDUCATION
This course covers more than half of the required training for the IBCLC exam, and
these hours count for the exam. This course awards 60 L-CERPs.
✔ ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING
One 1:1 coaching call with your mentor to answer any questions related to the
content of the program, to your practice or how to provide better care to your patients.
✔ GROUP MENTORING, NETWORKING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Group mentoring through a private group with your mentor and fellow students to share your progress and find inspiration.
✔ EXTENDED LEARNING
Access to the recorded lessons for 32 weeks so you can re-watch as needed and take
your time learning at your own pace! Plus, you will get additional conferences with
guest speakers.
✔ COMMUNITY
Our intention is to create an amazing community of healthcare professionals that connect for a lifetime and share their experiences with each other.
Paola is fluent in English and Spanish; all educational sessions and group support in this
program will be provided fully in English. Additional one-on-one mentoring is available
separately in both languages according to the mentee's preference.
This program is designed with 6 weekly modules to ensure a structured learning
experience. With a generous 32 weeks of access, you have the flexibility to watch the
lessons at a pace that suits you best. Most students find themselves completing the program
comfortably within 2-3 months' time.
Join us and level up your practice.
What our students say.
Melissa Treur, RN, IBCLC — B.C., Canada
"All lessons were honestly all so helpful!!! My favourite thing about the program was putting the educational pieces together to assist with the formation of care plans — the 1:1 mentorship and just knowing I can reach out for further guidance is so comforting! Her personal experience adds so much to valuable learning! I went into private practice without mentorship — my biggest regret is that I didn't have this information & support before I started! Paola's knowledge & practical application to practice makes this one of the most influential courses I have ever taken!"
"The program was excellent — I learned so much! Paola was right that even though I had taken a previous course, her program was very helpful on top of what I previously learned. It filled in a lot of the gaps and was very practical, while the course I took previously was oriented mainly to content from the textbook."
Mary Davis, BScN — Mississauga, Canada
"Find a great mentor who believes in you; your life will change forever! It's been 8 months since I found my lactation mentor, Paola Vallarino, at Mamas Au Lait, and everything started to change! Now, I am so happy I have completed one more step with a heart full of gratitude and hope. More to come! I'm so grateful to have found such an amazing mentor!"
Luciana Lima
"Paola is an outstanding mentor with a wealth of information that needs to be shared with as many people as possible! It was an honour to complete my clinical hours with her. She was genuinely invested in the growth and development of my practice and learning. She truly put her heart into making my time at Mamas Au Lait the best possible experience. Thank you for taking me under your wing, Paola."
Deena Zacks
What patients say about our graduates
Mila Mendez, CBS
Breastfeeding Specialist · Postpartum Doula in Training ·
Lactation Intern
"I had an initial prenatal consultation with Mila, who was very warm, friendly and knowledgeable. Having had challenges breastfeeding with my first, I wanted a better action plan for starting again with my second. Mila provided a safe space for me to share my concerns and offered invaluable insight and useful tips to support an optimal latch and increase milk supply in the early stages. Our session helped me feel more confident and grounded, and I highly recommend Mila to anyone looking for breastfeeding support!" — Wei F.
"I cannot emphasize enough how important it was for me, my partner and our newborn to work with Mila. Thanks to their support, we were able to overcome various health and lactation issues and start exclusively breastfeeding by the third month — despite complications like thrush, blocked ducts, inverted nipples and vasospasm. Mila conveys information clearly, explains the logic behind it, listens carefully, and follows up consistently and professionally. I felt safe and warmly welcomed throughout." — Lela R.
Stephanie Aguanno, RN
Registered Nurse · Lactation Intern
"As a mother of four, working with Stephanie on my fourth baby was a true game changer. She looks out for baby AND mom. From the beginning, Step took the time to hear everything I had tried and gave me written, customized options to increase supply. She checked in often and asked how I was feeling since I'm prone to PPD. She is supportive, professional, and provides peace of mind that no other LC ever has. She even suggested which bottles imitate the breast and helped me build a pumping schedule that worked with my life as a working mom of four." — Yolo L.
"Steph met with me virtually over a few weeks, set up a personalized plan and helped me increase my supply and shift gradually from formula combo-feeding to breastfeeding."
— Deanna Q.
"I was having trouble with breastfeeding, and Stephanie really helped me. She is knowledgeable and empathetic and helped me improve things quickly in a non-judgmental manner. She suggested a different flange that fixed a lot of issues rather than telling me to buy a whole new pump. It was really a pleasure to work with Stephanie, and I'd highly recommend her." — Patricia S.
After completing the program you will:
♡ Treat patients with confidence
♡ Create life-changing lactation care plans for your patients
♡ Be a reliable resource for your patients and other lactation consultants
♡ Educate patients with a wealth of knowledge
♡ Be recognized in your field as a tongue-tie savvy practitioner
♡ Be ready to launch your private practice or to level-up your existing business so you can reach financial independence
♡ Be fully equipped to switch from one-time consultations to offering life-changing extended follow-up for long-term patients, from pregnancy to weaning
FAQs
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From the starting date, if you follow the program's outline, you'll be looking at 6 weeks of self-study for more than 5 hours each week.
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You will get both! When signing up, you'll benefit from having Paola as your mentor while also gaining insights from your peers. You'll have access to our private group with all participants and your mentor. You'll also receive two individual mentoring sessions. Please know you need to apply in order to be admitted: we only have a few spots available every month, as our focus is to create an intimate and valuable experience.
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You can access the course for up to 32 weeks to review lessons, download PDFs, and take the final test for your certificate. Students usually complete the program in 6 to 12 weeks.
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Yes, you will get a certificate of completion with 60 L-CERPs (lactation education credits) approved by IBLCE. You can use the 60+ hours you earn for the IBCLC exam's 95-hour requirement.
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Yes, you can use the 60+ hours you earn for the IBCLC exam's 95-hour requirement. The coursework aligns with the educational prerequisites set forth by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), making it an ideal step towards the IBCLC certification. If you're already an IBCLC, you can use the 60 L-CERPs towards your recertification.
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For both! If you're already an IBCLC, you'll gain advanced clinical skills and knowledge to level up your practice, plus 60 L-CERPs towards your recertification. If you're on your way to becoming an IBCLC, this program will prepare you to start seeing patients on your own, and gives you more than half of the lactation education hours you need to apply for the IBCLC exam
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This is an advanced lactation program. You will need approximately 35 additional lactation education hours to meet the 95-hour requirement to apply for the IBCLC exam. You should take a basic lactation course before or while taking this program. For better guidance, use one of the 1:1 mentoring sessions with Paola for individual recommendations for your pathway.
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Of course! Additional one-on-one mentoring sessions are available for an additional fee, based on availability. Please reach out to book a session or buy a package.
If this is just what you need…
Why wait?
Join us now for
$695 USD
If you prefer to pay in CAD, please reach out, and we'll be happy to assist you.