May 2004
Welcome to our 'new look' newsletter.
This month our Site for Clinicians will take you to the UK Baby Friendly handout on tongue-tie (ankyloglossia). The reason I'm featuring this topic right now was stimulated by an episode in my private practice - you know the story ... badly damaged nipples, baby with poor weight gain, obvious tight lingual frenulum and a doctor who claims it's only a problem if there's a speech impediment!
The UK Baby Friendly site has come to our rescue with a handout for mothers ... or better still, give them the url. At the bottom of the article in References there's a link to the Ballard article published in Pediatrics, and in Resources you'll be able to spend some quality time exploring 5 other weblinks with valuable information you can use to keep your colleagues up-to-date. Visit it now: Helping A Baby with Tongue-Tie @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The incidence of diabetes in all age groups is growing astronomically. The earlier the onset the more serious this chronic condition is. While Diabetes Awareness programs primarily focus on finding a cure, prevention must be the cheapest and most effective management strategy. Consider lobbying your regional Diabetes Awareness project manager to include support for exclusive breastfeeding in this years promotion. Articles such as Longer breastfeeding is an independent protective factor against development of type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood are being published in mainstream diabetes journals now and should make the job much easier for you. Click on the journal article title to read the abstract. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Online learning is the study method of choice for hundreds of people studying lactation issues ... some because of family committments, some because of time constraints, some because of the consistency and quality of the medium, and some because no courses are run nearby where they live. This month I'd like to introduce you to one of our students who certainly fits the last category, but would probably support the other reasons as great reasons to study with us too.
Please meet Lorna Das. "Hi! I studied nursing at Greenlane Hospital in Auckland New Zealand. After graduation in 1975 I worked in a hospital in Ba, Fiji Islands where I was initiated into bush obstetrics in the tropics. After studying midwifery at Waikato Hospital I ventured to Bangladesh in 1979 and after learning the language worked in a hospital in a regional town. I was most frustrated by delivering the babies of the middle class and rich and hearing of deaths nearby of those who could not afford to come to the hospital. I wanted to do something to save these women from preventable and unnecessary death. With our goal as reducing the maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity rates we founded an organization called Jibon Health and Development Programme in the city of Chittagong Bangladesh. The focal point is the Mother and Child Care Centre where Mothers and their babies come for treatment, antenatal care, postnatal care, immunisations etc. The Centre includes a medical laboratory, an immunization centre and a Womens Training Centre. Every 3 years a new village project is chosen and after surveying house to house healthworkers and midwives are chosen for training. Healthworkers are trained to teach the mothers of their area the basics of childcare, health and hygiene, diet and first aid. Village midwives (Traditional Birth Attendants) are taught to perform safe, hygienic deliveries, antenatal care and postnatal care, warning signs and referral to local hospitals. Every year in Bangladesh over 40,000 mothers die in childbirth or due to septic abortion. Lowering this rate is my calling, my passion. I have done a recent study of local maternal deaths. So far I have personally trained 115 TBAs. Promoting safe motherhood nationwide and provision of Midwife Delivery Kit Boxes is a further aspect of my work. I am studying to become an IBCLC to further enable me to provide premium care to the women and children of Chittagong." I'm sure I speak for everyone reading this Newsletter in wishing Lorna all the very best for the forthcoming exam. I wonder if Lorna will be the first IBCLC ever to work in Bangladesh. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Health e-Learning will be at the New Zealand Lactation Consultants Conference in Hamilton on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th May. They've got a great program planned. If you're going to be there make sure you come and say Hi to the Health e-Learning team.
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Health e-Newsletter
What is the average volume of milk released to the infant during each milk ejection reflex? Can you describe how the prolactin receptors regulate the rate of milk synthesis?