Maternal Health Complications Impacting Lactation

For many women, the journey of motherhood often takes unexpected twists and turns—including the challenges of being able to breastfeed. Every mother anticipates being able to feed her newborn baby, so it can be difficult when things don't go as anticipated. Navigating these challenges is where lactation consultants, registered dietitian nutritionists, and other members of the medical team can support mothers to meet feeding goals for their babies. During this session, attendees will learn more about common issues and conditions that affect women's ability to provide human milk, strategies to overcome those challenges to support mother's feeding goals, and actionable steps to ensure healthy and happy mothers throughout feeding challenges. Ultimately, the goal of any maternal health clinician is to support the mother and ensure that the baby is receiving appropriate nutrition to grow.

Planned with the Academy's Committee for Lifelong Learning

CPE Level: Level 2 (intermediate knowledge/experience)
CPEU: 1

Performance Indicators

• 12.1.1 Advocates for and promotes food and nutrition programs and resources to address issues of food insecurity, nutritional health and overall health and wellness.
• 4.2.7 Identifies and implements a plan to address opportunities and challenges.
• 8.1.5 Demonstrates knowledge of nutrient requirements throughout the lifespan, and their role in health promotion and disease prevention.

Learning Objectives

• Define the top five most common conditions that affect women when wanting to provide human milk for their newborn baby
• Demonstrate three action steps that the registered dietitian nutritionist can use in practice to support women in their individualized feeding goals
• Describe three common myths affecting women's perception of lactation and providing human milk that can be stumbling blocks for families.

Moderator

• Anna J. Busenburg, RDN, CSP, LD, CLC

Speakers

• Ekanem Akinola, MD FAAP, IBCLC
• Laura Knisley, DNP, APRN, RD,LD, FNP, IBCLC, CDCES, BC-ADM