New parents aren’t just a married couple who self-identify as “mother” and “father:” Modern families reflect our changing societal customs and mores. Babies are conceived using procedures to overcome (in)fertility issues. Gestational carriers and adoption allow families to raise babies with some, all, or none of the intended parents’ gene pool. Families today may have single parents, same-sex parents, blended parenting arrangements, grandparents as primary caregivers, and shared custody and visitation. Breastfeeding and human milk use are a public health imperative … and as such, all those caring for children should be supported in breast/chestfeeding, lactation, and use of human donor milk. A full range of clinical and counseling skills may be needed for the IBCLC/Healthcare provider (HCP) to offer evidence-based information and support to the primary parent.  Folks who suffer harassment and discrimination due to their personal attributes/appearance — yes, even from HCPs — delay obtaining healthcare. Consultations may be clinically complex, given the physiologic history at play. The IBCLC/HCP may be asked where to find families with extra pumped milk; can they help with that? What if the other parent wants to induce lactation, too? Culturally-sensitive counseling skills are needed. Such simple factors as intake form wording, posters and signage, and pronoun use will signal to families whether they can expect inclusive care from a HCP. This session will describe the legal and ethical obligations to support all manifestations of the modern family.

This session meets requirements for E-CERP approval, for material covering Ethical and Legal Issues, and Public Health and Advocacy, coming under Section VII. Clinical Skills of the IBLCE Detailed Content Outline. The learner at this session will be able to: (1) Identify the IBCLC’s three practice-guiding documents describing the legal and ethical obligations of inclusive care to a lactation patient/client; (2) Describe three non-traditional family arrangements where a breast/chestfeeding child is not receiving human milk directly from the birth parent; (3) Identify three websites designed for HCPs with resources for providing inclusive care.