Breastfeeding University is in Session
Evi Dewhurst / March 2015
Women in all stages of pregnancy and early motherhood are looking for supportive breastfeeding and pumping education, and as a clinical professional you are in a special position to offer it. But how can you know which tools will be most effective?
How do today’s women prefer to “consume” their education content?
Consider the nature of today’s average-aged breastfeeding and pumping information consumer, who is estimated to be 27 years old. They are living in a digital age and prefer videos over most other external formats of learning. They also prefer to take in “snack-sized” snippets of information, because time and attention spans are more challenged by virtual stimuli than they used to be. We live in an information era where a constant stream of digital connectedness is simply the norm.
This demographic also highly values access to information anywhere, anytime. That means resources must be available by desktop computer, tablets, and smart phones if they are to be successful.
Medela has taken these facts into consideration and created a new tool optimized with informative video to share with pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. This tool is Breastfeeding University.
Breastfeeding University is a ten-course online program of video tutorials for pregnant and breastfeeding/pumping women who are looking for additional resources to support their breastfeeding journey. Each video was designed to fit into busy schedules with “snackable” content shared within a ten to twelve minute time frame. The goal was to offer research-based information to support the benefits of breastfeeding in a friendly, encouraging way – all within a format that is easily accessed by a computer, tablet or smart phone.
Shortly after launching Breastfeeding University on the Medela website, we encouraged participants to answer survey questions about their experience. We wanted to verify the value of these courses and if the short video formats worked for these busy women. The response was overwhelmingly positive!
Out of 1,154 responses from women who participated in
Breastfeeding University:
-95% said they learned new information
-97% now felt better about asking for breastfeeding support in the hospital
-77% said Breastfeeding University helped them meet their breastfeeding goals
-88% would recommend Breastfeeding University to a friend expecting a baby
10 classes to cover all breastfeeding and pumping mothers:
Class One: Making the Decision on How to Feed Your Baby
Class Two: The Breastfeeding Lifestyle: Can Breastfeeding Fit Into My Lifestyle?
Class Three: Preparation for Breastfeeding
Class Four: How Breastfeeding Works
Class Five: The Baby Arrives: Get Breastfeeding Off to a Strong Start in the Hospital
Class Six: Life With a Breastfed Baby: The First Two Weeks
Class Seven: Overcoming Possible Breastfeeding Difficulties
Class Eight: Special Situations: Continuing to Provide Breast Milk if You and Your Baby Are Separated From Each Other After Birth
Class Nine: Combining Work or School While Breastfeeding
Class Ten: Breastfeeding Continues: Life with a Breastfed Baby
Meeting breastfeeding education needs in today’s demanding digital environment is a challenge, but armed with the knowledge of how your patients value information presentation is helpful and half the battle. Breastfeeding University was created as a tool for professionals just like you to meet these information preferences and support your patients in their breastfeeding journey.
View a special Introduction to Breastfeeding University video at www.MedelaUniversity.com.
If you have questions about Breastfeeding University,
email your queries to education@medela.com