NANT 13 offers two pre-conference sessions. The session highlighted below will begin at 1:30pm MT on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Register today. *Packages 3 & 4 include this session in addition to the Main Conference.
Description: Every parent has a right to know and have access to evidenced-based milk production information and skilled support to meet their specific human milk feeding goals. Human milk optimizes infant development, growth, bonding and overall infant and parental health.
Unfortunately, neonatal therapists are often unprepared to competently support human milk production and feeding at the breast/chest. Additionally, culture in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can make it challenging for both parents and the care team to move away from counting every milliliter the infant drinks. Bolstering our skills in this specific modality can improve the holistic care we strive to provide for these dyads.
Foundational knowledge in basics of human milk production including milk production phases, how supply is regulated, and the role of milk ejection reflex is critical when helping to manage feeding at the breast/chest. Another foundational skill is empowering the parent in sharing their story and guiding them through the NICU and post discharge journey of meeting their long-term feeding goals, whatever the goals may be on the continuum of infant feeding. Many supportive opportunities exist to support feeding at the breast/chest and human milk feeding. The neonatal therapist having the confidence to implement therapeutic strategies will support the family’s feeding journey, strengthen the dyad’s relationship, and optimize the infant’s development.
As a result of participation in this continuing education activity, participants should be able to:
- Summarize basics of human milk production: phases, supply regulation, milk ejection reflex.
- Identify 3-5 interviewing and counseling strategies specific to supporting parents with human milk production and/or feeding at the breast/chest.
- Prioritize 3 interventions to support feeding at the breast/chest in the NICU and post discharge.
Speaker: Tiffany Elliott, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, IBCLC
Tiffany Elliott, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, IBCLC is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT) and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), specializing in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders with an emphasis on preterm and medically complex infants and strengthening the caregiver-infant dyad. She currently works at Seattle Children’s Hospital, on the outpatient infant feeding team.
She previously worked at the University of Washington Medical Center NICU, where she co-founded the unit’s SLP program, which offers an embedded, preventative neonatal therapy model. Without an outpatient therapy component, she noticed the care gap post NICU discharge. Over the past several years, she has partnered with professionals across Washington state to improve transitions home for these fragile infants and their families and build capacity of therapists serving this population. She is also now serving in a temporary role with Northwest Center as a Hospital-to-Home Systems Change Specialist and is a capstone committee member for a SLP clinical doctoral candidate at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals. Tiffany enjoys teaching and has lectured locally and nationally on pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders.
Register today to secure your spot. *Packages 3 & 4 include this session.
