GOLD Learning Speakers
Barbara Robertson, BA, MA, IBCLC, RLC
- Speaker Type: GOLD Lactation 2017, Ethics 2018, Optimizing Milk Production Lecture Pack 2018, Tools of the Lactation Trade Lecture Pack, Translating Knowledge Into Practice: Creating Effective Lactation Care Plans Lecture Pack 2021
- Country: USA
Biography:
Barbara D. Robertson, IBCLC, has been involved in education for over 31 years.
She received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1988 and her Master’s in Education in 1995. Barbara left teaching elementary students in 1995 to raise her two children. Barbara is now the Director of The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.
Barbara has developed a 90-hour professional lactation training, many professional book groups with the authors, a 20-hour course which fulfills the "Baby Friendly" education requirements, and is a speaker for hire on a wide variety of topics including Motivational Interviewing. Barbara volunteered for the United States Lactation Consultation Association as the Director of Professional Development for 4 and a half years. She just retired as Associate Editor for Clinical Lactation, a journal she helped create for USLCA.
Barbara has free podcasts, a blog, and YouTube videos which can all be found on her website bfcaa.com. She is the author of many articles on lactation. She loves working with mothers and babies, helping them with breastfeeding problems in whatever way she can.
CE Library Presentation(s) Available Online:
Breastfeeding: Baby’s First Milestone
Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged as being the healthiest way to feed an infant for at least two years. In the United States of America, the CDC 2014 Breastfeeding Report Card states that 79.2% of mothers start out breastfeeding. However, as the babies get older, these numbers plummet. Only 49.4% of these babies are receiving any breastmilk by 6 months of age. We know from the literature that the primary reasons mothers stop breastfeeding in these early months are pain and worrying about their breastmilk supply. These are problems with solutions if the proper support is in place. Why is this support lacking? Is it because for all of the talk, “breast is best”, the importance of breastfeeding is not really valued? What if successful breastfeeding was reframed into a milestone? Baby’s first milestone? This presentation will explore other milestones, walking, talking, and learning to read, and what happens if babies and young children are not reaching these markers in a reasonable time frame. What support systems are in place to help these milestones be achieved if babies are faltering? The possible reasons for a baby not being able to breastfeeding and possible solutions will then be examined from the lens of having proper support systems in place.
Presentations:
28 | Hours / CE Credits: 26.5
| Viewing Time: 8 Weeks
Presentations:
1 | Hours / CE Credits: 1
| Viewing Time: 2 Weeks
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
Breastfeeding Support
Deconstructing Online Messaging: Ethical Considerations
If it is on the internet, it must be true! Not. Online media may present as an entertainment video but really be a commercial for a product. A publication can appear to a research article but actually be an opinion blog. We will identify ways in which businesses try to manipulate the viewer. Underlying messages will be decoded using the values of biomedical ethics and marketing techniques. Online breastfeeding media will be analyzed through the lens of biomedical ethics to uncover their true meaning.
Presentations:
5 | Hours / CE Credits: 5
| Viewing Time: 6 Weeks
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
Ethics for Lactation Professionals
Breastfeeding by the Numbers: What do They Mean and When are They Useful?
Numbers are used all the time in the lactation field. Test weights, percentiles, % of weight gain, are just some of the information that is gathered to help make infant feeding decisions. But what are they really telling us? When are they useful? Using these numbers in a way that actually helps support and promotes breastfeeding are key. Appropriate infant weight gain, how to do a test weight, scale calibration, calculating infant intake, and the possible need for supplementation, will all be covered.
Presentations:
6 | Hours / CE Credits: 6
| Viewing Time: 4 Weeks
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
Managing Milk Supply
The Great Nipple Shield Debate
Most IBCLCs interact with nipple shields in their work whether a family has brought one in that they are already using or they have suggested using this tool themselves. Are we using them too much or too little? When does it make sense to use this tool? Some lactation consultations say never and some give them out too often. In this session, a brief history of nipple shields will be presented along with the possible reason one might use a nipple shield. The pros and cons of nipple shield use in clinical settings will be debated. Finally, the latest research will be discussed to determine which clinical experiences are grounded in best practice.
Presentations:
6 | Hours / CE Credits: 6
| Viewing Time: 4 Weeks
Presentations:
1 | Hours / CE Credits: 1
| Viewing Time: 2 Weeks
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
Feeding Devices and Tools
The Baby's Not Gaining Weight! Now What?
Helping families determine if an infant is gaining weight appropriately in the first months after birth is an important part of a lactation consultants work. Being able to assess for the signs of a healthy, well-fed infant is critical to this work. If an infant is not gaining appropriately, calculating how much extra food the infant needs to grow properly, what this infant will be fed, identifying why this is happening, and providing possible solutions allows families to work on preserving breastfeeding while improving the breastfeeding relationship.
Presentations:
6 | Hours / CE Credits: 6
| Viewing Time: 4 Weeks
Hours / CE Credits: 1 (details) | Categories:
