Dr Jen Hocking
Jen is a registered nurse and midwife who worked in the public maternity system in Victoria for 20 years between 1997 and 2018. Jen has been a lecturer in the Bachelor of Midwifery program at the Australian Catholic University since 2018. Jen’s PhD was an ethnographic study examining the clinical practice of Lactation Consultants who provide support and care for breastfeeding women. She found that relationships were central to the care they offered. Jen is interested in how midwives and healthcare systems can support fabulous breastfeeding experiences that build connection between mothers and their newborn babies. Jen likes yoga, running with her dogs and Twitter: @jenhock13

What does awesome breastfeeding support look like?
A focused ethnographic study that involved ‘deep hanging out’ with Lactation Consultants while they worked in clinical settings with breastfeeding women and families revealed some interesting information about the nature of breastfeeding support. LCs were committed to seeing breastfeeding as a relational activity between mother and baby and many principles of woman-centred midwifery practice were observable in their holistic approach to care. This presentation will discuss the findings from this PhD research with a particular focus on providing insights for midwives – who of course have a unique opportunity to support women with breastfeeding right from the start.

Koori Maternity Service
Koori maternity services are uniquely Victorian and have provided flexible, inclusive and culturally safe maternity care to Aboriginal women, babies and families since 2000. Koori Maternity Services offer flexible, person-centred care, strengthened by Aboriginal culture and practice and built upon respectful trusting relationships between women, their families and Koori Maternity Service staff. The goal of Koori Maternity Services is to ensure that Aboriginal women and families receive culturally safe and high-quality pregnancy care.

VACCHO
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation is the peak body for Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Victoria – the only one of its’ kind – with 32 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations as Members. VACCHO Members support over 25,000 Aboriginal people in Victoria, and combined are the largest employers of Aboriginal people in the state.