GOLD Learning Speakers

A growing body of work supports the lactation care provider in assessing, referring, and infant feeding after a revision of oral restrictions; far less has been said regarding ongoing lactation care when revision is not part of the plan in the short- or long-term. Whether because revision services are unavailable, inaccessible, or not desired by parents, the dyad that includes a baby with non-revised oral restrictions will require a customized plan to avoid problems of lactation related to infants with oral restrictions. This presentation will equip the lactation care provider with tools to support the identified population of dyads where the infant has or is suspected to have oral restrictions. (These tools shall include: a review of situations which might lead a dyad to be considered part of this specific population; a comprehensive understanding of the categories of potential problems of lactation associated with this population; and the creation of a lactation care plan with clinical skills specifically designed to consider and address the needs of a dyad in this population along the entire spectrum of normal lactation.) Lactation care providers in any setting and with any level of training will benefit from this review of the issue as it offers a deeper understanding of why particular tools, techniques, and routines might be required for this population as compared with other populations of dyads.

A suspected or diagnosed tongue-tie can throw a breastfeeding journey into immediate peril, with concerns over the baby's well-being most often discussed and debated. However, without an appropriate and intentional strategy for supporting the mother, the breastfeeding journey risks meeting an untimely, unplanned, and/or unsatisfactory end. The mental and emotional toll such a complex lactation situation can take on parents is wide-ranging in its effects, and it is critical to provide personalized and comprehensive counseling to restore a sense of empowerment and control to the mother as she makes continual decisions on how and whether to proceed with lactation and breastfeeding. Additionally, it is vital that indications of postpartum mood disorders are recognized and addressed as early as they appear. Lactation care providers can benefit from a clear framework for their fundamental responsibility to safeguard both the mother and child in a breastfeeding dyad. In this presentation we will explore ideas and themes that can guide the lactation care provider to ask the right questions at the right times in the specific context of tongue-tie so that they can offer effective counseling and care.

The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (WHO Code) exists to protect health during a vulnerable period of life. In the course of practicing health care in the service of families with babies and young children, health care workers of all disciplines will encounter situations which should be guided by the WHO Code. It is in the interest of families and health for all health workers to be aware of the WHO Code and what it requires, as well as to be able to evaluate a situation where a commercial entity is interacting with the public regarding infant and young child feeding. Using a rubric of WHO Code guidance, the participant will practice evaluating real-world case studies and determining whether or not they are in compliance with the WHO Code.