Lamaze Conference 2016 begins

Today was a long day at the Lamaze conference, but a good one full of wonderful stuff. I attended a breastfeeding workshop today. It had "professional" in the title, so it was targeted to a level a little beyond mine, but that didn't bother me. I enjoyed being exposed to the information and although there was some jargon and acronyms that I didn't quite follow, I liked the in depth lessons about breastfeeding that I feel I can bring back to my classes. Allison Walsh was the presenter and she did a good job of covering the multitude of information. I really enjoyed one of the last modules where she talked about challenges with breastfeeding premature infants and those who need to be cared for in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

I feel like my breastfeeding experience was fairly smooth, I mean compared to the plethora of problems I could have had. I now have a broader knowledge to give to my students that will hopefully help them overcome some challenges they may face. The big take-aways I got from today were
1) skin-to-skin contact with your baby can fix a lot of things
2) Babies will let you know when they are hungry and when they are full, you just need to know the cues and crying is the last resort cue.
3) Dr. Jack Newman has great videos about breastfeeding and latching
4) Techniques to prevent and treat a variety of common breastfeeding difficulties.
5) Don't use absolute language when teaching this topic.
6) Strategy to discuss breastfeeding plans and concerns with students.

Overall it was a lot of information to cram into 8 hours (was it really that long?). But I feel the information I can bring back to my class will help the moms I'm working with. I am also meeting some fun new friends that are giving me ideas and inspiration for my Lamaze business.


My new friend Jamie from Birthing Confidence.

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