The program that looks beneath the surface.
Most lactation education teaches you what to do. This program teaches you why — grounding every clinical skill in biological reality and current evidence rather than accepted convention, so you can think clearly and independently when you are sitting with a family who doesn't fit the textbook.
"Open to anyone worldwide who has a passion for supporting breastfeeding families — no prior healthcare qualification or lactation experience required."
"Most of what we accept as normal in breastfeeding practice is not biological norm — it is social convention. This program is built on evidence, not assumption — and it asks you to tell the difference."
Evidence-based education that connects the dots.
Other programs teach lactation as a list of topics. This program teaches it as an interconnected, evidence-based system — biological, social, relational, and clinical — where understanding one thing deepens your understanding of everything else. You will leave not just knowing more, but thinking differently and practising with genuine rigour.
Biological norm, not convention
Many common breastfeeding practices are so widespread we have stopped questioning them. This program asks you to look deeper — distinguishing what is biologically expected from what modern culture has normalised, and understanding the difference for the families you support.
Built for clinical reasoning
Every module is structured to develop your capacity to reason, assess, and problem-solve — to move from description to genuine understanding of mechanisms, and from recognition to action.
Family-centred from the ground up
Technical expertise means nothing if it does not translate into conversations that empower families. This program develops your ability to communicate in ways that build confidence — not dependence on your expertise.
Developed over years of practice
This curriculum has been built over years of hands-on clinical work and deep engagement with the evidence. It is not a repackaged syllabus — it reflects what real families and real clinical complexity actually demand, wherever in the world you practise.
Lifetime content access
All course content is yours with no expiry date and no re-enrolment fees. Return to any module as your clinical experience deepens — and you remain part of the Motherhood Matters community long after your supported period ends.
Support that is actually there
Your enrolment includes a supported period of direct access to Felicity — group sessions, community chat, and 1:1 when you need it. Beyond that, you remain part of a growing community of practitioners with ongoing access to all course content.
Twelve modules. One coherent whole.
The program covers all areas of the IBLCE Detailed Content Outline across 12 modules — from the science of breastmilk to the complexity of clinical challenges, from infant anatomy to public health policy. The IBLCE is a globally recognised credential and the content of this program is applicable to clinical practice anywhere in the world.
The foundation of evidence-based clinical practice begins with understanding why breastfeeding matters — biologically, socially, and politically. This module equips you with the analytical tools to understand the world your clients are navigating and the historical forces that shaped it.
Clinical knowledge is only as useful as your ability to connect with people. This module explores the sociology and psychology underlying how families make feeding decisions, developing your ability to communicate in ways that genuinely support — rather than direct — the families in your care.
Human milk is not simply nutrition — it is a living biological system calibrated in real time to the individual infant. This module draws on current evidence to explore its extraordinary complexity, and gives you the language to convey that to families.
This module moves beyond labelling diagrams to understanding mechanism — how structures function together, why variation is the norm, and what anatomical knowledge means in real clinical practice. Evidence-based understanding of anatomy underpins every assessment you will make.
The hormonal orchestration of lactation is one of the most sophisticated biological systems in the human body. Grounded in current evidence, this module develops your understanding of hormonal interplay, feedback loops, and the clinical implications of common interventions.
The infant is an active, highly capable participant in the feeding relationship — not a passive recipient. This module examines infant anatomy and neurobehaviour with attention to variation, developmental readiness, and how the context of birth shapes the first hours of feeding.
Attachment is examined as a dynamic, co-regulated process between two individuals. You will develop a rigorous, evidence-based framework for assessing the full range of normal presentations and distinguishing true dysfunction from unfamiliarity with biological norm.
The first week is where families are most vulnerable to misinformation. This module grounds you in the biological reality and evidence base of early breastfeeding — including infant growth and developmental milestones — so you can support families with confidence and clarity.
Real clinical practice means encountering complexity. This module covers the full range of maternal challenges with a consistent emphasis on evidence-based differential assessment, and keeping the mother as a whole person at the centre of care.
From ankyloglossia and cleft palate to prematurity and failure to thrive, this module develops the clinical reasoning to move beyond labels toward genuine, evidence-based understanding of how each condition affects the feeding relationship and what families need from you.
Families deserve evidence-based guidance on medications and breastfeeding — not reflexive conservative advice that undermines the feeding relationship. This module builds your capacity for rigorous risk-versus-benefit assessment and clear family-centred communication.
The final module develops your research literacy — not just the ability to read studies, but to critically evaluate evidence and apply it to practice. You will also understand the public health landscape of breastfeeding, from local policy to the WHO Code.
IBLCE Alignment — The IBCLC credential is the gold standard in lactation care, recognised in more than 100 countries worldwide. This program covers all areas of the IBLCE Detailed Content Outline and supports students across the globe pursuing certification. Students are responsible for confirming their individual pathway requirements — including health sciences education and clinical hours — directly with IBLCE at iblce.org.
A pathway, not just a program.
This is not a course you complete and move on from. It is the beginning of a professional community you remain part of through every stage of your career. The program is fully online, making it accessible to students anywhere in the world.
Online and self-paced
All 12 modules available immediately on enrolment. Work on any device, from anywhere, at a pace that fits your life.
Lifetime content access
All course materials are yours with no expiry date — return to content as your clinical experience grows.
Direct support and community
Supported access to Felicity and a growing community of practitioners throughout your study period.
Dedicated exam preparation
Structured support from Felicity to consolidate your knowledge and approach the IBLCE exam with genuine confidence.
Ongoing professional community
Qualified practitioners remain part of the Motherhood Matters community — with ongoing support for establishing practice and continuing professional development.
Taught by a practitioner who never stopped learning.
Bachelor of Midwifery, UTS
Bachelor of Education, UTS
Felicity Hughes is an endorsed midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) based in Sydney, Australia, with a background that spans primary education, midwifery, and more than a decade of intensive clinical lactation practice.
Before becoming a midwife, Felicity worked as a primary school teacher in Australia and the United Kingdom, where she developed a deep foundation in how people learn, how curriculum is built, and what distinguishes teaching that creates genuine understanding from teaching that simply transfers information.
Felicity collaborated with the University of Technology Sydney to create and deliver the first standalone breastfeeding subject ever offered within a Bachelor of Midwifery and Graduate Diploma of Midwifery program in Australia. She also founded the Motherhood Matters Pathway 3 Mentoring Program.
The content of this program is Felicity's own — developed through years of studying, questioning, and refining in real clinical settings. Delivered entirely online, the program is designed to be as relevant and accessible to a practitioner in London or Lagos as it is to one in Sydney.
- Collaborated with UTS to develop Australia's first standalone breastfeeding subject in a Bachelor of Midwifery program
- Founder, Motherhood Matters Pathway 3 Mentoring Program
- Founder, Motherhood Matters 95-Hour Advanced Lactation Education Course
- 2024 LCANZ Award for Excellence in Lactation Care — inaugural recipient
- Continuing advanced training: infant oral function, craniosacral therapy, orofacial myofunctional therapy, tongue tie assessment
No referral needed.
Book a discovery call to talk through the program and your pathway with Felicity — no pressure, just a conversation.