ELECTA Conference: Breastfeeding Insights shaping the future – May 2026

On the 16^th of May, Carolina de Weerth had the honor of being invited to give a talk about our mother milk research at the 14^th conference of the European Lactation Consultants Alliance (ELECTA) in Bucharest, Romania.

It was an inspiring and educational day, in which we learned that for example that in Sweden preterm babies are encouraged to breastfeed early on and spend an extensive time in skin-to-skin contact with their parents. We also learned that in the Ukraine, the distribution of formula as humanitarian aid, leads to a substantial decrease in breastfeeding. Providing breastfeeding mothers with (online) lactation support could lead to better outcomes. And lastly, we learned that lactation consultants work very hard to support breastfeeding, often having to do this with little support and their own resources.

All in all, it would be great if the policymakers would make it a priority to support breastfeeding. Mother milk is evolution’s own high-tech formula and far more than just nutrition. It programs a child’s development and strengthens the health of future generations.