Author: Caoimhe Whelan, B. Eng, IBCLC, MSc (research)
Author Information and Disclosure of Conflicts of InterestAbstract
Social media has revolutionized how IBCLCs and lactation professionals connect with families, but with this new landscape come significant ethical, legal, and professional challenges. In this article, Caoimhe Whelan explores the double-edged nature of social media, highlighting its potential to inform and connect, but also its risks to mental health, professional reputation, and client privacy. Drawing on personal experience and current research, she provides practical guidance for IBCLCs on responsible posting: ensuring accuracy, using inclusive language, staying within scope of practice, declaring conflicts of interest, respecting intellectual property, and adhering to both the WHO Code and national influencer laws. This essential read encourages all professionals to pause and consider the wider implications before sharing content online.
Keywords: social media, conflict of interest, intellectual property rights, artificial intelligence, International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
How to cite: Whelan C: Before you post on Social Media, Pause and Consider… Lactation & Breastfeeding 2025;3:02.
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Caoimhe Whelan, B. Eng, IBCLC, MSc (Research), is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice based in Ireland (https://latch.ie/). She sees breastfeeding families at her office in Churchtown. Caoimhe is interested in low milk supply, maternal mental health, social media, breastfeeding education and qualitative breastfeeding research. As part of her MSc. by research through the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health System in University College Dublin, Caoimhe undertook a study of mothers’ experiences of breastfeeding with primary low milk supply. To date, two papers on this research have been published, in Breastfeeding Medicine and International Breastfeeding Journal. Caoimhe has spoken at several international breastfeeding conferences on a range of topics and recently published a colour illustrated book on breastfeeding, ‘Practical Breastfeeding: An Illustrated Guide for Parents’.
Caoimhe is a WHO Code-compliant IBCLC and has no conflicts of interest to declare.