Breastfeeding Education and Advocacy Lecture Pack

In the past, childbirth educators and breastfeeding helpers have given information that has inadvertently worked against breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. This presentation will address at least 4 common teachings and how they can reinforce perceived milk insufficiency and new mothers’ insecurity about milk supply. Strategies, evidence and scripts will be given to update breastfeeding education.

Are you a lactation professional or health care provider looking for ways to engage your audience? Whether your audience is breastfeeding families, parents-to-be, peer counselors, volunteers, health care professionals or lactation specialists, then this presentation is for you! In it, I will show how creative solutions can overcome a lack of resources or technology to provide mothers and families with engaging and effective breastfeeding support. This session will cover innovative and interactive educational strategies and activities that can be used to capture your audience’s attention and to encourage them to retain vital information and strategies to help them breastfeed.

These concepts are practical and applicable to all types of settings, including but not limited to: breastfeeding support groups, lectures and presentations, training sessions, webinars, seminars and one-on-one lactation consultations. Moreover, they are easily modifiable to fit the needs of different populations and cultures. As many lactation professionals work in low-income communities or resource-poor settings that frequently lack many of the latest gadgets and expensive lactation aids, this presentation will offer demonstrations and tutorials of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) options that can ensure that breastfeeding mothers and families get the best support possible, even when resources are scarce.

As educators and health organizations, we mostly target prenatal women with the breastfeeding message and then are surprised at the push-back we receive from those who do not embrace breastfeeding. In order to tip the scale in breastfeeding acceptance, we must broaden our audience.

This presentation will focus on reaching a larger audience. We must project our message to the masses. It is crucial to share breastfeeding education to society, early and frequently. Breastfeeding education should begin in the school system and be geared for each age appropriately.

We must offer education in a way that each person and organization understands how it applies to them and their situation. For instance, employers will be more likely to embrace the employee that breastfeeds if they understand the far-reaching effects of breastfeeding. The lawmakers will be more likely to approve lactation laws if they comprehend the need for legislation. Partners will offer appropriate support if they receive the same education that is often reserved for the pregnant woman. This presentation will give suggestions of how to reach family, communities, professionals, and lawmakers with the breastfeeding message. When societies embrace breastfeeding, they will embrace breastfeeding women and see it as the norm.

This talk is to stress the importance of breastfeeding in communities where both finances and breastfeeding rates are low. These communities tend to have the highest infant mortality rates. Breastfeeding support programs are almost nonexistent due to lack of funding. This contributes to low initiation of breastfeeding. In these communities the title lactation consultant is foreign. Breastfeeding Peer Counselors reside within these communities; however, there are no employment opportunities. These are actually environmental barriers as well. Living in a community that does not support lactation, makes infant formula appear to be the “norm” for infant feeding. If the community as a whole was aware of the importance of breastfeeding, the whole village could take a stand. Implementing free breastfeeding/mothering support groups, allowing volunteer peer counselors to come in and assist is one approach. It should not take “money” to provide free breast milk.

As part of efforts to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration, educational interventions aimed to increase awareness and positive attitudes towards breastfeeding beginning during the school years are recommended by the World Health Organization and UNICEF UK. Breastfeeding education in the school setting offers the opportunity to introduce the topic to a wide range of students from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this presentation is to 1) present a critical review of the literature regarding stakeholder views of breastfeeding education programs in schools, 2) explore ongoing mixed methods research on North Carolina family and consumer science teacher attitudes and practices relating to infant feeding education in the secondary classroom, and 3) make recommendations for opportunities for lactation professionals to promote breastfeeding education in schools.

Learning styles can be defined as the cognitive, effective and psychosocial behaviours that can serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to a learning environment. Learning styles are just one part of Adult education theory, how do the theories around Androgogy, Transformation learning, Experiential learning and programme development affect those offering education in the world of breastfeeding. In this session, we will explore what we have to understand about how adults learn in order to be able to communicate effectively. We will also explore ways to empower people to understand breastfeeding and their role in advocating for women and babies.