Regional Perinatal Task Force Meeting: Lactation After Loss by Luna Lactation

MISSION: To improve knowledge, behaviors and systems of care for women, children and families in Southern Oregon, through a cross-sector Perinatal Task Force.

In the meeting we will:

• Introductions & orientation
• Professional development
• Breakout groups
• Talk about public/ perinatal health across the counties

Professional development training for this meeting will be presented by Melissa Cole of Luna Lactation!

Melissa has been supporting families working through feeding and health concerns for almost two decades. She is a board-certified lactation consultant, neonatal oral-motor assessment professional and clinical herbalist in private practice. Melissa is passionate about providing comprehensive, holistic lactation support. Recently, she has spoken and published on the topics of lactation after loss, tongue tie issues, digestive health, galactagogues and more.

She is dedicated to improving the level of clinical lactation skills for aspiring lactation consultants and other healthcare professionals. She is a past adjunct professor at Birthingway College of Midwifery in Portland, Oregon where she taught advanced clinical lactation skills for more than 6 years. Melissa is active with several lactation and health care professional associations and enjoys lecturing, publishing and conducting research.

Melissa’s bachelor’s degree is in maternal/child health and lactation and her master’s degree is in therapeutic herbalism. Before diving into the field of lactation, Melissa had a background in education and cultural arts. She has found that this diverse background has served her well in her work as a lactation consultant and healthcare educator. Melissa has a passion for continuing education and has studied a variety of topics from craniosacral and oral motor therapy to clinical herbalism and Japanese tea ceremony and many things in between! She firmly believes that learning is never done! On a personal note, Melissa lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. In her free time Melissa can be found gardening, working with herbs, studying some topic or another, and enjoying the great outdoors with her family.

Click HERE for the notes from our previous meeting.