Dr. Alison Hazelbaker has been invited by the Sociedad Peruana de Pediatria to speak at their First International Breastfeeding and Child Health Congress taking place from August 18-20, 2016.
Dr. Hazelbaker's speaking topics include:
Why Johnny Can't Suck: Perinatal Influences on Normal Term Infants' Ability to Suck and Strategies to Prevent and Correct Sucking Problems:
This presentation focuses on the most dramatic presentation of breastfeeding problems: the baby who has significant sucking problems associated with interventionist birth management. Dr. Hazelbaker covers all the potential pitfalls of childbirth as business and the possible negative impact this approach has on sucking. She covers the differential lactation diagnosis process, the decision tree for choosing level and type of intervention, and the various treatment modalities used to correct sucking problems both in and out of the hospital. Dr. Hazelbaker takes the participants on a journey through the normal physiological sucking process to aid participants in their understanding of normal vs. abnormal thereby enhancing the assessment skills of the audience. She also suggests ways to "stack the deck in the baby's favor" to prevent sucking problems from developing. This workshop touches on but does not cover assessing and treating sucking problems that are associated with structural abnormalities or neurological causes.
Treating Infant Sucking Problems with Craniosacral Therapy:
Unfortunately it has become commonplace for newborns to refuse to latch or have tremendous difficulty latching to the breast. A non-latching baby or a baby with significant sucking issues presents a unique and frustrating challenge to the lactation consultant. Several studies have shown the benefit of craniosacral therapy as a treatment approach to correct disorganized and dysfunctional sucking. In this exciting presentation, Dr. Hazelbaker details the anatomy and physiology of the craniosacral system, linking it to the anatomy and physiology of infant suck. She describes the multiple structural and physiological deficits of newborn sucking caused by intrauterine and intrapartum influences. She explains craniosacral therapy, and presents case histories of actual clients whose situations responded well to this form of therapy. Along with the benefits, Dr. Hazelbaker suggests a clinical decision-making algorithm that aids the clinician to determine if a particular infant could be helped by craniosacral therapy.
Tongue-Tie or No Tongue-Tie:
For decades, assessing tongue-tie has been a controversial subject. Although lactation consultants have a keen appreciation for the need to treat this relatively uncommon structural abnormality, other health care providers do not share their level of concern. Parents often get caught or trapped between the recommendations of their LC and their primary health care provider. In this presentation, Dr. Hazelbaker presents the most up-to-date research on definition, assessment, treatment and treatment outcome. She examines the on-going controversy and provides research based guidelines for the clinical decision-making process.
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