Conference Presentations
Conference Presentation Topics with abstracts
While presentations are typically 60 to 75 minutes long, they can be as long or as short as the conference planner desires. For an additional fee, CERPS may be available in time for the event.
A Kinder, Gentler World: Abuse and Breastfeeding
Babies Tell Their Stories
Baby Behaviors: The Missing Piece of Breastfeeding Support
Becoming a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Program
Being a breastfeeding doula
Benefits of Breastfeeding and Their Economic Impact
Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Breastfeeding Medicine
Connecting the Dots: Birth and Breastfeeding
Conversations and Counseling
Craniosacral therapy: another tool in a lactation consultant’s toolbox
Cultural Competency, Cultural Humility
Exclusive Pumping
Infant Massage Supports Breastfeeding
Issues and Skills in the use of Massage Therapy for the Premature Infant
Lack of Breastfeeding and its impact on infant metabolic and endocrine function
Latch-On: An International and Historical Perspective
Making the Connection: Birth and Breastfeeding
Making the Invisible Easy to See: The Economic Value of Human Milk
Medical Supplementation of the Breastfed Newborn
Promoting relationship while bottle feeding
Sexuality and Lactation
Skin to skin care as part of breastfeeding recovery.
Stooling Frequency in the First Week of Life and Weight Gain in the Exclusively Breastfed Infant
Stories from the field: Breastfeeding and COVID
The Spirit of the Word
Weight gain of the breastfed baby, and the use and abuse of growth charts
Words That Work
A Kinder, Gentler World: Breastfeeding and Abuse
Breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in child abandonment and abuse, and maternal depression. Mothers who have been sexually abused may have longer breastfeeding duration. How can this be? What fabulous program developed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF can make a difference? How can a practitioner recognize and guard against vicarious traumatization? This presentation is updated regularly.
Babies Tell Their Stories
Nikki specializes in breastfeeding recovery, when babies refuse to latch. Based on principles from craniosacral therapy, this presentation is about the emotional expression from babies that is necessary before they will latch on and feed. Participants will learn about this process, including ways to create an environment where babies can tell their story to their mothers, facilitated by the lactation consultant.
Baby Behaviors: The Missing Piece of Breastfeeding Support
Research from California reveals that mothers who want to breastfeed may start supplementing with infant formula and may start added cereal to bottles of formula once they are home from the hospital. They doubt their milk supply and doubt breastfeeding because their babies are waking up and are crying, even when their babies are gaining weight and pooping sufficiently Evidence-based strategies for teaching mothers and families about normal infant sleep patterns, needs for social interaction and physical activity can lead to longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding and reduced formula use.
Becoming a Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Program
Teachers in Early Childhood Education Programs can make or break breastfeeding. This 1 to 2 hour session will offer hints and tips for the teacher to support the breastfeeding family whose baby is enrolled in the program.
Being a Breastfeeding Doula
Birth goes best when the environment is encouraging, the attendants and providers are loving and patient, and when the process of giving birth is allowed to flow in its own time. Breastfeeding starts best with an encouraging environment, and respect for the process of two people to make their own intimate relationship. Forcing babies to the breast in the hospital is one sure way to create problems. Anyone can be a breastfeeding doula.
Benefits of Breastfeeding and Their Economic Impact
YEARLY HEALTH CARE COST SAVINGS
Estimates are based on the most conservative figures, ex: if breastfeeding is estimated to reduce diarrhea by 51%-71%, then half of what diarrhea costs per year was calculated. It is important to remember that breastfeeding reduces incidence of many diseases for which a cost savings can not yet be estimated.
If 75% of new mothers would breastfeed in the first hour after birth, exclusively for the first 6 months, and partially for the next 1-2 years, the US would save at least $13 billion in annual health care costs for:
THE MOTHER
THE BABY
Outline:
- Introduction:
• The cost of health care in general
• Who is making all the money? And how could they make more? - Review of Literature:
• For each of the following risks:
Risks of Formula-feeding to the MOTHER
- Increases the risk of women with gestational diabetes developing subsequent diabetes
- Increases her risk of infertility
- Increases risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer
- Increases risk for osteoporosis
- Increases mortality for women with rheumatoid arthritis
- Minimizes or reduces postpartum weight loss
- Increases the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage
- Increases risk of thyroid cancer
Risks of Bottle-feeding to the BABY
- Increases risk of allergies and asthma
- Increases risk of anemia
- Increases risk of appendicitis
- Increases risk of certain communicable diseases
- Increases risk of death
- Increases risk of diarrhea
- Increases risk of early puberty
- Increases risk of gastrointestinal disease other than diarrhea
- Increases risk of adult heart disease
- Increases risk of hospitalization
- Increases risk of inguinal hernia
- Increases risk of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
- Increases risk of multiple sclerosis
- Increases risk of necrotizing enterocolitis
- Increases risk of lower respiratory infections
- Increases risk of sepsis
- Increases risk of sudden infant death syndrome
- Increases risk of tonsillectomy
- Increases risk of urinary tract infections
These are currently known benefits; more are discovered every year. Breastfeeding is a renewable resource that makes no demands upon the environment, and creates no pollution.
Complementary and Alternative Therapy in Breastfeeding Medicine
In this presentation, Nikki discusses the history of the schism between allopathic medical practice and complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), the importance of energy in healing, and current evidence that supports the value of CAM in breastfeeding work. She shows how different modalities may be effective in treating clinical situations: infant colic, and maternal mastitis, bleb and breast pain. She can integrate audience activities into the discussions of craniosacral therapy, aromatherapy, and energy. In-depth discussions and case histories are offered about acupuncture, aromatherapy, craniosacral therapy, homeopathy, and massage (infant and maternal).
Connecting the Dots: Birth and Breastfeeding
When birth is traumatic or technologically driven, breastfeeding can suffer. Breastfeeding helpers often have to ‘pick up the pieces’ after a traumatic birth. This presentation bridges the gap between research and practice about birth and research and practice about breastfeeding. It is as excellent for health care professionals who work with laboring and birthing women as it is for those who are working with breastfeeding women and babies.
Conversations and Counseling
Over the years, I have come to think about having conversations with people, instead of counseling them. I see my client on the same level playing field as am I. We are both experts in our own lives. Our interaction is an overlap of our areas of experience. Brené Brown, Audre Lorde and Malcolm Gladwell contribute their wisdom to this talk. We start with “I see you.”
Craniosacral therapy: another tool in a lactation consultant’s toolbox
Craniosacral therapy is a modality that grew out of cranial osteopathy. It is a scientific approach to the laying on of hands, an historically proven healing technique. Audiences will learn about the origins and history of CST and the anatomy and physiology behind the techniques. Case studies will serve as illustrations. If time permits, the audience can be led through some participatory experiential activities.
Cultural Competency, Cultural Humility
We all start out as strangers to each other, even when we are in the same family. We should bring humility and restraint to our initial meeting, and avoid assumptions. This presentation presents several different models of cultural communication, examples of different cultural beliefs about breastfeeding, and teaching strategies that have proved effective. A group process exercise is offered that uses filmed scenarios and small group work.
Exclusive Pumping
Currently, people who are exclusively pumping either have babies in NICU and babies who are unable to breastfeed, or they have chosen to exclusively pump because breastfeeding didn’t work out. The advice and suggestions that we lactation care providers give to such families has to be specific to the reason for exclusive pumping, in order to best serve our clients.
Infant Massage Supports Breastfeeding
Massage works in two directions. We who work with mothers and babies often have very difficult working situations. This relaxing and thought-provoking talk is good for any audience as it gives specific ways that we can take a breath, stay calm, and make some changes in our lives without spending a ton of money or taking a month away from our jobs. Massage is just as blessed to give as to receive. Infant massage promotes calm, improved gut function, and weight gain. Adult massage promotes calm. Parental or caregiver massage of the baby promotes relationship. Audience participation makes this talk more personal and relevant.
Issues and Skills in the use of Massage Therapy for the Premature Infant
Exciting new research describes how massage helps infants gain weight and be discharged home more quickly, while their parents learn a a skill that supports bonding and attachment. The massage can be done by NICU staff or by the mother; in either case, the premature infant gains.
Lack of Breastfeeding and its impact on infant metabolic and endocrine function. AKA: Formula and its association with Diabetes and Obesity.
Learn the truth about about infant formula, and the many reasons that formula use is the first step to obesity and diabetes . There are many theories to explain the association between infant formula use and diabetes. There are 5 reasons that bottle-feeding formula can lead to obesity. Solutions to prevention of infant weight and obesity are part of this talk.
Latch-On: An International and Historical Perspective
ABSTRACT:
This presentation will take the audience on a tour showing how latch on has been portrayed in art through the centuries and of how it has been taught in texts and videos in the last two decades. Components of latch-on in common and in therapeutic situations (Dancer Hand; a high-arched palate) will be described, using information from international research. Factors that have positive and negative impact on latch will be explored.
OBJECTIVES:
1. The participant will identify how women today see and learn latch-on.
2. The participant will see styles of latch-on displayed in overhead projections of art works from history and in texts from the past two decades.
3. The participant will view the differences and similarities in latch-on teaching from seven countries, shown in videos.
4. The participant will be shown six assessment tools for latch-on.
5. The participant will see two types of therapeutic latch.
Making the Connection: Birth and Breastfeeding
This is a presentation for all those working with pregnant and postpartum women and breastfeeding dyads. Some researchers view breastfeeding as the final stage of the birth process. The audience will be taken on a tour of research to connect the dots between birth and breastfeeding; strategies and solutions to common challenges will be presented.
Making the Invisible Easy to See: The Economic Value of Human Milk
This 60-minute presentation and workshop will emphasize the economic contributions of human milk to local economy, as well as understand the drain posed to local economy by formula feeding. Participants attending this workshop will learn how to calculate the value of human milk contributed by mothers to their state’s economy.mothers contributed to their state’s economy.
Medical Supplementation of the Breastfed Newborn
If a baby needs supplementation, what is the healthiest food to give? How is it best given? This talk is geared to physicians and other health care professionals.
Promoting relationship while bottle feeding
Bottle-feeding is the major method of infant feeding in the US, yet little is taught to the public and health workers about giving the baby control of the intake or promoting relationship while bottle-feeding. One wonders if the point of bottle feeding is to inject as much fluid into the baby as quickly as possible so babies pass out. Ignorance about bottle-feeding can lead to obesity, and to wastage of precious human milk as infants will spill when they can’t keep up with flow. The presentation illustrates the importance of giving the baby control of intake.
Sexuality and Lactation
There is little published about the impact of lactation upon a woman’s sexuality. A lactating woman’s libido is reported to be increased or decreased depending upon the source of the data. Motivating factors for a woman’s return to coitus postpartum are rarely considered or described.
This presentation presents a review of literature and the results from a bi-modal sample of 25 women who were interviewed by telephone during the first 6 months postpartum. The average time of return to coitus was 8 weeks postpartum. 52% of the sample reported that the reason for the return to coition was to relieve sexual tension in their partner. Other findings were that sexual feelings during suckling are not experienced by most women, and that persistent difficulty with breastfeeding may adversely affect libido and return to coition.
A review of literature shows that birth practices that result in perineal trauma and damage have a negative impact on breastfeeding. Women will not volunteer that they are incontinent of bowel and/or bladder.
Recommendations for clinical lactation practice will include strategies to normalize the woman’s experience, provide reassurance, and refer to the appropriate health care professional when necessary.
Skin to skin care as part of breastfeeding recovery.
This presentation will demonstrate what can happen during skin-to-skin care when it is used for breastfeeding recovery. Craniosacral therapy and somatoemotional release are part of this work. Mothers and lactation professionals need to be ready for a baby to tell its story as part of breastfeeding recovery.
What is somatoemotional release? How does it work during skin-to-skin care when attachment has gone poorly? This workshop includes videotapes of a babies having an emotional release, some case histories, and suggestions for lactation professionals to use when using skin-to-skin care and remedial co-bathing.
Stooling Frequency in the First Week of Life and Weight Gain in the Exclusively Breastfed Infant
Newborn stooling patterns are considered indicators of breastfeeding sufficiency in the first weeks postpartum. There is little in the literature about the stooling frequency of the term, healthy, and exclusively breastfed infant. This paper reports on a study of 20 exclusively breastfed infants whose stooling frequency in the first week of life was recorded. All babies thrived. The daily stooling frequency ranged from zero to one with every feed. There was no correlation with weight gain. As newborn stooling patterns are so variable, other indicators are needed to assess the health status of the newborn. Stooling is but one part of the whole picture of a healthy breastfed baby.
- Is infant stooling a reliable indicator of infant weight gain?
- Review of Literature
- Author’s study
- Conclusions
Stories from the field: Breastfeeding and COVID
COVID-19 has had an impact on breastfeeding. This constantly updated presentation mixes stories from families who are coping with COVID with current evidence.
The Spirit of the Word
Resistance is a challenge for the breastfeeding helper; while we worry about resistance from the public and from professionals and from the workplace, we need also to be concerned about our own resistance. This 60-75 minute presentation explores the meaning of resistance and offers strategies to value it as a guide to change.
Weight gain of the breastfed baby, and the use and abuse of growth charts
Have you ever had a client come back from a pediatric visit and call you, upset, and report that the provider told her that her baby wasn’t gaining enough weight and to start giving formula? How does this happen? What can we do about it? Attend this talk and learn what we can do.
Words That Work
In the past, childbirth educators and breastfeeding helpers have used phrases and words that have worked against breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. This presentation will address 4 common teachings and how they can reinforce perceived milk insufficiency and new mothers’ normal insecurity about exclusive breastfeeding. Strategies, evidence and scripts will be given to update breastfeeding education.
