A Safe Journey Birth & Lactation Services

12/06/2022

I'm so close to 100 subscribers because my newest video is taking off!

09/07/2022

New video premiers tomorrow morning! I am so excited because I spent a lot of time working on fancy (to me) editing in addition to this really passionate topic. Video link in comments to subscribe and get notified!

09/04/2022

Recall alert! This is a HUGE recall that not only includes lactation smoothies, protein drinks and plant milks, but also nutritional products for tube-feeding.

Oatly, Premier Protein, King's Hawaiian and other popular brands were impacted.

08/15/2022

08/02/2022

New video out! Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
https://youtu.be/gMYgmvBc6bs

Happy World Breastfeeding Week! Today we're discussing medication safety during lactation, how to find out what meds are safe during lactation, and specifica...

07/17/2022

If you've ever wondered how to choose a bottle for your baby, here is the deep dive you never knew you needed!
https://youtu.be/1EDbGzP7SQE

How do I choose the right bottle or ni**le to feed my baby? Bottle feeding the breastfed baby can be a daunting task for new parents because they want to avo...

07/13/2022

Friends, I spent all day yesterday breaking down the AAP's new Breastfeeding Policy.
https://youtu.be/CdB0lpJhzEk

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its Breastfeeding Policy for 2022. I'm going through it for the first time with you and breaking it down. Also...

06/30/2022

My video on the Pump Act and Formula Act failing will premier in about 20 minutes. I got emotional.
https://youtu.be/zslwNc6h3Wc

Over the past week, in the US, the government has shown exactly how little it supports the health and safety of women, pregnant and lactating people, and fam...

06/28/2022

The AAP has updated its guidelines from nursing for at least 1 year to recommending at least 2 years, which has always been the World Health Organization's recommendation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging doctors to have “nonjudgmental conversations” with families about their feeding choices.

05/23/2022

The act, which was signed into law May 16, 2022, prohibits crib bumpers and inclined sleepers due to the dangerous risks they present.

05/12/2022

Research Podcast is now live!

In September 2021, my group published a randomized, controlled trial demonstrating the impact of posterior tongue tie release on infant feeding. The initial publication was only online, but this month, the study was published in our ENT Academy's print journal. The article was then selected as the feature article, and I was interviewed by the editor in chief and an academic pediatric ENT.

I'm very proud to have been able to publish the study. I'm even more proud that our Academy is acknowledging that posterior tongue tie needs to be understood better. Take a listen here: https://sageotolaryngology.libsyn.com/oto-objective-improvement-after-frenotomy-for-posterior-tongue-tie-a-prospective-randomized-trial

This would be good for you all to share online. It would also be a good starting point for medical providers who want to learn more about tongue function and how this study furthers the research base.

04/01/2022

A hardcore breastfeeding woman who is the daughter of a hardcore breastfeeding woman!

03/13/2022

TLDR: Pediatric residents get an average of 9 hours of breastfeeding education.

This is why your pediatrician is not your best resource for breastfeeding guidance.

How much does your pediatrician know about breastfeeding?

I'm going to review an important paper published in 2011 by Osband and colleagues: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21272827/

The purpose of this post is NOT to bash primary care doctors. Instead, I want to explain to everyone why I require an evaluation by an IBCLC to be able to schedule an appointment with me for consideration of a tongue/lip tie release. I put a tremendous amount of value on their assessment.

This paper surveyed 132 pediatric residency programs across the US to determine the amount of breastfeeding education provided. On average, a pediatric resident gets 9 *hours* of total education on breastfeeding during their entire training (3 hours per year). The attached graph shows the breakdown of those hours and demonstrate how little time they spend with the actual breastfeeding experts (lactation consultants). In contrast, an IBCLC can spend more than 2000 hours during their clinical training.

What about ENTs and dentists? How many hours do they get during training? ZERO.

So what's the take home message? If you have a baby with breastfeeding issues or compensations that are causing maternal symptoms, your first stop needs to be an IBCLC. Should you ever do a procedure because an ENT or dentist says you should? No, not without IBCLC involvement first. And if you're a medical professional taking care of these dyads, you need to change your mindset. All too often, IBCLCs aren't respected, their notes aren't read, their voices are silenced by people who don't listen to people without a medical or dental degree behind their names.

03/02/2022

🥰 I work with the best team!

03/02/2022

Happy IBCLC Day to me and my amazing colleagues and educators!

02/23/2022

02/18/2022

Formula recall, friends!

The FDA is issuing an advisory to alert consumers to avoid purchasing or using certain powdered infant formula, due to possible infant illness. More info: https://1.azdhs.gov/3LDZxQ6

02/06/2022

Fad? Dare I say not!

This picture is taken from the Obladen 2010 paper discussing the history of tongue tie. The pictures are from woodcuts by Fabricius and Scultetus in 1620 and 1666 respectively. In 500 years, little has changed - the instrument used to pick up the tongue looks identical to what is depicted here AND the babies are giving these surgeons the same look they give me.