Last chance for savings! Early bird rates for ABREAST close May 15. Tap the link in bio to register and lock in lower prices before it’s too late! #ABREAST2026 #ScienceConference

Happy International Midwives Day 2026 Today we honour the expertise, compassion, and unwavering commitment of midwives who support families through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey. Your leadership in safe, respectful, evidence-based care makes a lasting impact on communities worldwide. #Thankyou for all you do! #InternationalMidwivesDay #MidwivesMatter #BirthWithCare

ABREAST CONFERENCE 2026 - 25 JUNE SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT - Dr Zoya Gridneva Zoya Gridneva, PhD is a Research Fellow at the Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group. Her research on maternal factors, such as #adiposity, on breast #anatomy, milk #composition, #production and #removal has revealed significant impacts on lactation. Zoya also focuses on the effect human milk component intakes on the breastfed infants’ growth and body composition and how this #reduces childhood and adult #obesity risk. Zoya's work has been widely recognised, with her international collaborations, awards and publications. Her research on how milk components affect #infant #body #composition has earned notable recognition, including the 2024 ISRHML Ehrlich Koldovsky Early Career Award and 2024 UWA School of Molecular Sciences Award for Research Impact and Innovation. Zoya will be presenting at #ABREAST2026 on: 'Maternal experiences with exclusive pumping' Mothers who exclusively pump breast milk to feed their infants face unique challenges, however, are underrepresented in research. Our studies confirm it is possible for these women to sustain lactation with exclusive pumping and provide sufficient expressed breast milk volumes for the infant, challenging long held dogma that this is not possible. However, the time commitment required for exclusive pumping represents a serious burden. These women face unique challenges and feel under supported indicating targeted evidence-based education for health professionals on exclusively pumping to improve lactation outcomes and maternal wellbeing. EARLY BIRD RATES CLOSE 15 MAY! REGISTER NOW :) Link in Bio https://www.abreast.network/abreast-2026

ABREAST CONFERENCE 25 JUNE 2026 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT - Lisa Stinson Dr Lisa Stinson is a #perinatal #microbiologist at The University of Western Australia. Her research explores the #infant #microbiome, with a special focus the role of human milk in modulating infant microbial ecology. Dr Stinson leads the microbiome research at the UWA Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation. Her work has received numerous awards and significant media attention, including selection for the ABC Top 5 Science Media Residency. By advancing our understanding of early microbial exposures, Dr Stinson’s research aims to inform strategies that support optimal infant and lifelong health. Lisa will be presenting at #ABREAST2026 on: “Can I still use this?” Assessment of the bacterial safety of left-over expressed milk Current guidelines recommend discarding any #expressed breast milk (EBM) remaining in a #bottle after an infant has fed. Despite being widely endorsed by health authorities, these recommendations are merely #precautionary, with no empirical #evidence to support them. Given the known #antimicrobial properties of human milk, and the significant volume of milk discarded as a result of these guidelines, robust evidence is urgently needed. This presentation shares preliminary findings from an ongoing study examining bacterial load in EBM immediately before infant feeding, immediately after infant feeding, and after #storage at room temperature for 4 hours and refrigerated storage for 4 days. Early data suggest that while infant feeding does introduce oral bacteria into the bottle, #bacterial levels do not rise any further during subsequent storage. Thus, the bacteria that an infant is exposed to when offered fed-from EBM that has been stored is no different to the bacteria that they were exposed to at the end of the original feed. These data suggest that current guidelines are too conservative, potentially causing widespread #waste of EBM. Register Now! Early bird registrations are now open - Link in Bio

ABREAST CONFERENCE 25 JUNE 2026 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT - DR STUART PROSSER Dr Stuart Prosser graduated with an MBBS from The University of Western Australia in 2000 before pursuing further studies in #Child #Health, #Women’s #Health, #Obstetrics and #Gynaecology, #Anaesthetics and Skin Cancer Management. Stuart has worked as a Procedural General Practitioner, practising both Anaesthetics and Obstetrics, for over 15 years. During his initial General Practice training he completed his Advanced Diploma in Obstetrics and his JCCA in Anaesthetics. Throughout this period, Stuart has continually focused on enhancing the patient experience. Stuart holds a Master in Medicine, specialising in perioperative medicine and healthcare systems and leadership, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Melbourne. He maintains a long-standing commitment to continuous education and serves as an associate professor at Curtin University. Stuart is proud to be the #Lead #General #Practitioner #Obstetrician (GPO) at Western Obstetrics, a multi-disciplinary practice that provides team-based maternity care. They offer midwifery-led maternity care, with support from GP Obstetricians, and other health services such as women's health physiotherapists, psychologists, and lactation consultants. Stuart will be presenting at #ABREAST2026 on: Tongue tie clinical assessment The presence of a lingual frenulum, or ‘tongue tie’ is often considered as a cause of current or future breastfeeding difficulties and issues such as reflux, fussiness and low weight gain. Approaches to the clinical assessment of tongue tie vary widely, and while screening for aspects of tongue structure and function is usually performed, an assessment of infant feeding is also needed. In this presentation Dr Prosser will use #case #reports to illustrate a comprehensive approach to #tongue #tie #assessment using a validated #tool, #assessment and discussion. Register Now! Early bird registrations are now open - Link in Bio https://www.abreast.network/abreast-2026

ABREAST CONFERENCE 25 JUNE 2026 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT - Kaitlyn Rae Kaitlyn is a second year #PhD #candidate at The University of Western Australia investigating breast milk #metabolomics, #chrononutrition, and the links between milk #composition and #infant #sleep. She holds an Honours degree in Human Reproductive Biology from UWA, where her research focused on neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Prior to commencing her PhD, Kaitlyn worked as a scientist in molecular immunology, specialising in DNA extraction and PCR for organ transplantation. Kaitlyn’s current work integrates LC-MS method development with infant feeding and sleep data to examine how nutritional and hormonal patterns in breast milk influence early-life physiology. Her research aims to advance understanding of infant sleep regulation and support evidence-based guidance for breastfeeding families. Kaitlyn will be presenting at #ABREAST2026 on: “Does the Volume and Energy of Breast Milk Consumed, Impact the Timing and Duration of Infant Sleep?” #Sleep in early life supports #neurodevelopment, yet the role of #feeding in shaping infant sleep remains unclear. Despite limited evidence, feeding strategies such as providing larger, “filling”, or more energy-dense feeds are commonly used to encourage longer sleep. In this session, I will examine whether the #volume and #energy content of #breast #milk feeds, influence the #timing and #duration of infant sleep. Using detailed feed-level intake #data and milk composition alongside prospective sleep #recordings, this work investigates whether short-term variations in intake are associated with infant sleep outcomes. The findings challenge common assumptions around feeding and sleep and have important implications for breastfeeding guidance. They also highlight the need to explore bioactive components of breast milk, such as hormones, in shaping infant sleep-wake patterns. Register Now! Early bird registrations are now open https://www.abreast.network/abreast-2026

ABREAST CONFERENCE 25 JUNE 2026 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT - Sharon Perrella Sharon Perrella PhD(Dist) is a Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia, Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation. Sharon has a clinical background with extensive experience in #neonatal intensive care #nursing and has a special interest in #preterm #breastfeeding and milk production. She has used ultrasound and intraoral vacuum measurement to examine sucking dynamics and suck-swallow-breathe coordination after preterm birth and in dyads experiencing breastfeeding difficulties. Sharon’s current work focuses on the identification and management of women at risk of low milk production and early cessation of breastfeeding, with a particular interest in lactation outcomes after pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes. She is passionate about sharing the science of human lactation with health professionals and families. Sharon will be presenting at #ABREAST2026 on: Shield Fitting The #fitting of breast pump #shields is such a hot topic! We know it’s not a case of ‘one size fits all,’ and finding the right size for an individual woman can be tricky. Our UWA data show changes in nipple diameter measurements over the course of a breastfeed or pumping session, and between measurements on different days. Also, some women have more elastic tissue with noticeable nipple expansion and extension during pumping. Join us for a discussion on fitting a ‘moving target’ where flexibility rather than a fixed rule is needed. #Register #Now! Early bird registrations are now open - Link In Bio