LIFE SUCKS! An updated and extended breastfeeding, lactation and mother-infant support and osteopathy course (elearning version)

Welcome to my new and updated BREASTFEEDING AND LACTATION course.  Unlike the Mother and Baby Course (which covers loads of obstetrics, post partum, and general paediatrics up to one year) this course focuses exclusively on infant feeding, suck swallow, breathe dynamics, and breastfeeding aspects for mum and baby.  It covers a huge amount of content, loads of evidence, lots of research articles to access, discussions of outcomes, roles and boundaries, interprofessional dynamics, and many hours of lecture videos.  Other resources too and links to many other online videos and useful resources.  This course covers embryology, anatomy, physiology, loads of neurology for the somatic and the autonomic nervous systems, and covers bonding, function, primitive reflexes, intrauterine strain, infant pain, ti9ssue stress, the mechanics of feeding, aspects about the tongue, including tongue tie, the pharynx, chest and diaphragm plus loads of information about the infant head, throat, upper respiratory tract, the ventral fascias and more.  This will orient you to many aspects of the infant feeding story.  Suitable for midwives, lactation consultants, craniosacral therapists and body workers, as well as osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors.   Helpful for anyone wanting to be more informed about hands on care in support of the mother and infant dyad.

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This extended and updated course is aimed at osteopaths who have a strong interest in supporting the mother-infant dyad, and families and mums who are struggling with feeding their babies in some way, or with babies who are not establishing feeding.

Osteopaths have many special skills to apply in a clinical context, at this critical time – with babies often just days or weeks old.

Understanding the development of the infant, the transition phase and perinatal dynamics, how primitive reflexes are related to feeding success and how the anatomy of the head, neck, face and body interact with the emergent physiology of suck-swallow-breathe is also essential.

What is also important is to appreciate how birth, tissue irritation, strain, injury to both MUM and BABY can impact on feeding success by causing sensory motor challenges, stress within the arousal and state regulation mechanisms within the infant, and movement and motor challenges within the infant as this then helps osteopaths and similar hands-on practitioners determine a treatment plan or a referral pathway.

Mum also needs particular support, and issues for her involve recovery from birth, bonding and mental health issues, breast-care and milk supply and general restoration of body posture and global cavity restoration.

This course leads into a particular consideration of risks ethics, roles boundaries, consenting and evidence all of which need to be carefully considered when working with this special group of people.

Assessment techniques and approaches for hands on care are discussed.  Please note that technical competence cannot be gained from an online programme and so this course cannot credential you for competence on its own.

If you wish to take your training further after completing this course, please contact the College of Non Musculoskeletal Osteopathy (www.cnmo.co.uk) where programmes that lead to a Certificate and can include practical sessions and clinical observation and practice are available in the near future.

CONTENTS IN DETAIL:

The course contains a series of 33 modules, and the content outline for each of these is:

Module 1 : Overview of latch, suck and swallow

This module contains a 33 minute lecture on latch, suck and swallow – an overview. It also contains a 2 minute youtube video on tongue movements, a 33 minute youtube video on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and LATCH Assessment.

plus:

•  downloadable handouts (notes only) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.

Module 2: Movement and anatomy integration – smooth and rhythmic suck and swallowing

A module containing a series of resources, videos, articles, and links on the movement and anatomy integration of smooth and rhythmic suck and swallowing. Specifically: 20 sec video on normal swallowing in infants: 3 min video on fluoroscopic Swallowing Study; 30 sec video on Breastfeeding Ultrasound real time; 40 sec infant feeding video; 30 min video on a guide to Breastfeeding; 

plus:

• a downloadable article

This module contains no lecture but is for supplementary orientation: contains one short 2 min video on the different types of suck patterns and poses questions that will be explored in later modules.

Module 4:  Nutrition, metabolism, appetite – how the infant guides the feeding dynamic, plus other approaches to feeding

This module looks at maternal, infant and early childhood nutritional needs and  the nutritional components of breastmilk as well as other alternative feeding methods. There is  no lecture in this module  but a series of videos that include: 1 hour video on Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Nutrition; 1 hour 20 min video on the chemistry of infant feeding; 3 min video on Syringe feeding; 40 sec video on cup feeding.

plus:

•   a downloadable article

Module 5: Airflow and airway protection

This module contains a video link and discussion on how repositioning the chin-nose-breast relationship allows more airflow.

plus:

• 2 downloadable articles

Module 6: Tensor veni palatini and the airway dilators

This module covers a lot of the relevant anatomy, and gives orientation to palpatory experiences during assessment and treatment. Video resources include: 25 min video on Anatomy of the soft palate

Module 7: Upper cervical spine dynamics, and the dural tube – combining spinal column and dural dynamics, with visceral tube and sliding surfaces in the throat / ventral fascias

This module contains no lecture but is for supplementary orientation

Module 8: Future changes to suck and swallow – the implications for speech and communication

This module includes 3 downloadable articles

Module 9: Intra-uterine dynamics

A module containing a 50 min lecture on Breastfeeding and Infant feeding -support for Osteopaths-Mother and Infant dynamics. Extra videos include a 40 sec video Ultrasound sucking baby, a 1hr, 4min video by  Dr Jack Newman on infant feeding, latch, milk flow, biological nursing and the breast crawl.

plus:

• downloadable handouts ( lectures notes & 10 links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• 2 links to extra resources

•  downloadable handouts (lecture notes & 9 links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• link to supplementary article

Module 11: The dynamic cranium, birth trauma

This module contains a 1 hour 12 min lecture from the breastfeeding series: dynamic cranium.

plus:

• downloadable handouts (lecture notes & 6+ links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• a slideshow on vacuum delivery
• downloadable article

Module 12: The moulded baby syndrome – osseous and sensory motor implications

This module contains a 2 hour lecture from the breastfeeding series: the moulded baby.

plus:

• downloadable handouts (powerpoint notes & +6 links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• 4 links to articles for further reading

Module 13: Head shapes and other moulding and movement dynamics

There is no separate lecture in this module .

There are 2 links to resources support the module content

Module 14: Motor sensory development, the somatic and physiological bodies, primitive reflexes, patterns and rhythms, the self, and infant feeding

There are 2 lectures in this module: Motor Sensory Development for Feeding Success part 1 (1 hour 45 min)and part 2 (1 hour 30 min)

plus:

• downloadable handouts ( lectures (part 1 & 2) notes & 30+ links for further reading ) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of both lectures
• links to 3 articles for further reading.

Module 15: Bonding, communication, social engagement, development and poly-vagal perspectives, oxytocin, neurohumoral and microbiome issues

• downloadable handouts (notes to lecture & 30+ links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of both lectures
• 7 articles for downloading

• downloadable handouts (powerpoint notes & 16 links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• 8 articles to download

Module 17:Suckling is a vestibular friend! And other aspects of vestibular integration of suck-swallow-breathe

In this module there is  no separate lecture – just some additional resources:

• 3 links to articles

Module 18: Eyes

In this module there is  no separate lecture – just some additional resources:

• 3 links for further reading

Module 19: Other rhythms – sleep and circadian dynamics

This module contains a 7 min video.

Module 20: Pain, sensitisation, destabilisation, shock, stress, fear

This module contains 1 lecture of 1 hour 8 min . In addition there is a 1 hour 15 min video to watch.

plus:

• downloadable handouts (lecture notes & 50+ links for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• 3  downloadable articles

Module 21:Developmental anatomy, and implications for function and evaluation – the anatomy of suck

This module contains a combined lecture of 2 parts: Part 1 –  (2 hours)The Anatomy of suck; Part 2-The other end of swallowing breathe (1 hour 8 min).

plus:

• downloadable handouts (notes forepart 1 & 2 of lecture + links to11 resources for further reading) and an online viewable slideshow of all the powerpoint slides of the lecture.
• links to 6 articles plus 1 slideshow

Module 22: What about the rest of the gastro-intestinal tract and swallowing / breathing?

This module contains 1 downloadable article

Module 23:Tongue tie

This module contains 1 lecture of 1 hour 21 min in addition to a 4 min 30 sec video & a  5 min video on the embryology of the mouth and throat and tongue, plus a 2min video on aftercare post-frenotomy.

plus:

• 4 links to articles for further reading

Module 24: Suck training and other rehabilitations

This module contains a 4 min 30 sec video

plus:

• 1 downloadable article

Module 25:Maternal dynamics – being on the other side of the mouth

This module contains 1 lecture of 2 hours 45 min.

Module 26: Milk letdown and milk ejection, breasts, nipples and mum

There is no separate lecture in this module

Module 27: Nipples, teats, shields, nipple pain, and the view from mum’s side of the tongue….

There is no separate lecture in this module.

Additional resources include:

• 3 downloadable articles
• link to slideshow

Module 28:Osteopathic support

• 2 downloadable articles

Module 29: Assessing, and treating upright

There is no separate lecture for this module.

Module 30: Accessing the cranial nerves

This module contains 2 videos of 12 min and 10 min.

Module 31 :Where ANATOMY TRAINS and TENSEGRITY models (including the dural reciprocal tension model) don’t go far enough.

This module contains 1 lecture

Module 32:Co-regulation – the role of the therapist (all therapists)?

This module contains 3 videos: 3 min 30 sec; 4min 40 sec; & 2 hours.

Module 33: Assessment tools

There is 1 lecture in this module

plus:

• 2 downloadable articles.