October 2026

Happy October, KBC friends! The countdown is on for our annual conference! Hopefully you have already registered, but if not, it’s not too late! Click here to view the agenda and register. Registration fees are lower this year thanks to generous support from KDHE’s Bureau of Family Health. We also have fun conference t-shirts available for purchase on our website this year. Check them out here. This is my final letter to you as the KBC Board Chair. Our new chair, Dr. Kourtney Bettinger, will start her term before next month’s Milk Messenger arrives in your inbox. This has been a year of change for the KBC, and I thank you all for trusting me and the rest of our board members to help guide us through it. I hope to see you in Wichita later this month!

Sarah Jolley, PhD

KBC Chair

Meet Your Newly Elected Board Members!

Joy T. Barnes 

Chair-Elect

Makala Navarro

Member-at-Large

Whitney Winder

Treasurer

Lisa Pettit-Green

Member-at-Large

Thank you to everyone who ran for a board position and those who voted.

New board members will begin their terms on Friday, October 16th, during the 2026 Kansas Breastfeeding Conference. Be sure to register for your chance to meet them!

Join us this Friday for a quick 30-minute update on issues important to families in Kansas. Register here.

Join us on the third Wednesday of each month from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. for the latest research and clinical tips in lactation. Register for the emPOWER Talks here and add them to your calendar.

Help Us Reach Our Enhanced Lactation Clinical Skills Training Registration Goal!

Regretfully, we had to cancel the November 13 training. This is a great opportunity, so we don't want members to miss out. This special package includes an online course to earn your Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS) plus a full-day hands-on skills training, all for $400! English and Spanish language options are available. Our goal is 15 participants per class.

Details and registration here.

Regardless of the circumstances, every family deserves access to trusted information and support for breastfeeding and human milk feeding. Community partners have shared that, in some Kansas communities facing heightened immigration enforcement, families may be reluctant to leave their homes or access services they typically depend on. Click the button below for our webpage with a list of resources to share with those affected in your community.

KBC Board members Abriona Markham (left) and Dr. Sharla Smith (center) each received awards for their work from Kansas Birth Equity Network during the Heartland Conference MPCH Summit last month.

• Lawrence Public Library earned the SILVER Breastfeeding Employee Support Award.
• Project Eagle’s Educare KC/University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute earned the SILVER Breastfeeding Employee Support Award.
• Sunflower Outdoor and Bike earned the BRONZE Breastfeeding Employee Support Award.

Click here to learn more about employer designations.

The KBC's supply order form contains several materials in Spanish. Language should never be a barrier to breastfeeding success. Explore all options here.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the September survey. A slight majority of you are ready for Sweater Weather. And after our Summer, we can't blame you. Please check out the October survey below.

October Trivia

Like what you read? Please consider making a donation to support the continued work of the KBC.

Suggestions for future publications are welcome at info@ksbreastfeeding.org.

Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition

ksbreastfeeding.org