2022 Conference: Turning the Tide for Birth and Breastfeeding

2022 Conference: Turning the Tide for Birth and Breastfeeding

Warrnambool, VIC: Conference 25 & 26 February 2022

Friday 25 FEB 2022

08:00 AM
Registrations open – Tea/coffee served
08:30 AM
Opening address
08:45 AM

Women birthing in Australia routinely experience the juxtaposition of two paradigms where the concept of safe motherhood is restricted to physical safety at birth, and a holistic paradigm where safe motherhood is much more than the prevention of death and disability.  All women have a right to equitable, dignified and respectful maternity care. Respectful maternity care encompasses respect for a woman’s human rights; disrespectful maternity care diminishes this. Women’s memories of their childbearing experiences stay with them and are shared with other women, contributing to a climate of confidence or doubt around childbearing.  It is important to understand and appreciate how the care provided to childbearing women can either promote optimal health or cause long term physical harm and emotional trauma.  The presentation will explore:
• The Distinctive Importance of the Childbearing Period and the Childbearing Paradigm.
•  How current maternity care practice is impacting on child bearing women and the factors that supported health and wellbeing of women rather than those that cause disease.
•  How human rights are implicated in the childbearing process and affirming their application to childbearing women as basic, inalienable rights. • Propose a model for change - Respectful Maternity Care.

With regard or disregard The Childbearing Woman’s Paradigm in Contemporary Society - Ellen O'Keefe
09:45 AM

Professor Catherine Chamberlain - Healing the past by nurturing the future: Understanding complex trauma in Aboriginal populations and the implications for breastfeeding – 1hr (1 L cerp)

In this presentation, Professor Chamberlain will:

  • Briefly outline the key features and causes of complex trauma
  • Discuss the impact of trauma, particularly impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • Describe the importance of the perinatal period – including pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, for parents experiencing complex trauma, and the opportunities for recovery
  • Share experiences of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding from parents who impacted by complex trauma
  • Invite reflection on the key principles for supporting breastfeeding among women experiencing complex trauma
Healing the past by nurturing the future: Understanding complex trauma in Aboriginal populations and the implications for breastfeeding - Catherine Chamberlain
10:45 AM
Morning Tea
11:15 AM

Lisa Amir - Mastitis: cases and current research – 1hr (1 L cerp)

Mastitis may be non-infectious (e.g., when the infant sleeps through the night for the first time), but can progress to infection, especially if nipple damage is present and bacteria can enter breast tissue (usually in first eight weeks postpartum). One in five breastfeeding women are diagnosed with mastitis, and the usual organism is Staphylococcus aureus. Breast cellulitis is a type of mastitis and may be caused by a Streptococcus spp infection rather than the typical S aureus. Lisa discusses the results of her research project to understand how general practitioners (GPs) manage mastitis by analysing data from a large GP database and interviewing GPs. 

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Understand mastitis is a continuum from inflammation to infection.

-      Be able to demonstrate therapeutic breast massage.

-      Be familiar with recent research describing how mastitis is managed in general practice.

Mastitis: Cases and current research - Lisa Amir
12:15 PM

Catherine Bell - The Birth Map: Facilitating communication and informed decision making in maternity services – 1hr (1 R cerp)

Birth plans were introduced to provide a sense of agency to women in an increasingly medicalised maternity care system. They were intended to improve communication between maternity care providers and women. However, in the 40 years since their implementation, they have often been reduced to templates and checklists, which no longer facilitate communication and hence impact on informed decision making.  In addition, the term ‘plan’ has been criticised for its perceived lack of flexibility. This presentation will introduce a new study, which seeks to evaluate aspects of a new woman-centred, structured approach to birth preparation - Birth Cartography.

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Have increased insight into the problems faced by women entering our maternity system

-      Understand potential solutions to implement to facilitate better communication

-      Know the difference between a birth plan and a birth map.

The Birth Map: Facilitating communication and informed decision making in maternity services - Catherine Bell
01:15 PM
Lunch
02:15 PM

Norma Barrett – 0.75hr (0.75 R cerp)

The transition to parenthood (TTP) is widely recognised as a very challenging time for most parents, iImpacting their physical and mental wellbeing. Both mothers and fathers are now known to be susceptible to perinatal depression and anxiety. The average couple also experiences a decline in romantic relationship functioning. There is a dearth of evidence on father experiences of this important life stage. Norma will discuss the findings of her study identifying the experiences of fathers in their journey to becoming parents and during their early parenting years. 

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Recognise the implications of inclusion/exclusion of fathers in parent related consultations/support provision from the perspective of fathers. 

-      Recognise the support needs of new fathers and fathers of young children. 

-      Consider how they may maximise father inclusion in parent consultations and support services to maximise family wellbeing.

The transition to parenthood. What it means for new fathers - Norma Barrett
03:00 PM
Causes of Low milk supply - Heather Harris
04:00 PM

Compared to our non-Indigenous friends, Aboriginal families are more likely to have a baby die during pregnancy or when bub is an infant. We know that hard and difficult conversations need to happen with families when their baby has died, however we need to make sure that the care we provide is kind, considered and holistic. When working with community, cultural safety, consideration and appropriateness is pivotal as the center of care. Skye talks about ways of guiding these conversations with Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing as the foundation when working with community in Sorry Business after the tragic death of a baby.

Learning objectives (What will participants be able to do following the presentation?
–  Basic understanding of Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, doing. 
– Knowledge of cultural considerations when supporting Aboriginal families following a stillbirth or death of an infant .  – Understanding Aboriginal perspective of death and dying and Sorry Business.

Culturally safe conversations with Aboriginal families following stillbirth - Skye Stewart
05:00 PM
Q&A
05:15 PM
Close
07:00 PM
Dinner: The Whalers Hotel
Late
Time to socialise

 

Saturday 26 FEB 2022

08:30 AM
Registrations open – Tea/coffee served
08:45 AM

Dignity is a core concept in human rights, ethics, politics, philosophy and respectful maternity care. Dignity is an inalienable right, based on the inherent human worth of a person. Dignity is the opposite of humiliation and shame. Dignity describes the felt experience of being valued while innate human vulnerability is acknowledged and addressed. Pregnant women are generally in a vulnerable position and how this is managed by maternity care professionals may either increase or decrease such vulnerability.  A woman’s vulnerability becomes clear when her freedom and dignity is compromised.  In maternity care, dignified environments and processes are those in which both the woman’s values and vulnerability are acknowledged and accommodated simultaneously, where she is recognised, empowered, understood, and treated with safety, fairness and accountability.  The acceptability and quality of maternity care services include treating patients with dignity, creating trust and preventing harm.  The most important thing is that maternity services, across Australia provide the best possible care for women and their families. This requires a system that focusses on both experience of care - the interpersonal aspects of care as well as the quality of that care.   We know that for various reasons failures in care do happen and women and their babies are the ones who pay the price.  Australia needs to ensure responsive, sensitive maternity care systems that cater for the individual woman and respect her human rights.  Understanding, embedding and monitoring dignity in maternity care has the potential to make a real difference to women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. The presentation will explore: • Women’s experience of maternity care • Women’s solutions to address the problems •           Propose a model of empowerment for women requiring maternity care. 

 

The Mother’s Tale – Women’s experiences of maternity care in Australia - Mary Kirk
09:45 AM

Lisa Amir - Reducing the maternal medication barrier to breastfeeding – 0.75hr (0.75 L cerp)

For most maternal medications, the potential for harming the breastfed infant is minimal; only small amounts of medication are transferred into human milk and absorbed by the infant. Most reviews of medications for breastfeeding women conclude that the benefits of medication use during lactation outweigh the risks. Yet, health professionals and families are often unsure about safety of medicines on the breastfed infant, and this is still a barrier for achieving Australia’s breastfeeding goals.

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Understand the basic pharmaco-physiology of medications in lactation.

-      Know where to access evidence-based information about medications in lactation.

-      Be able to discuss medication safety in lactation with families.

Reducing the maternal medication barrier to breastfeeding - Lisa Amir
10:45 AM
Morning Tea
11:15 AM
Women’s experiences of maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic - Alyce Wilson
12:15 PM

Frances Walker - Breast fed babies and food sensitivities: Diet is an option -1hr (1 L cerp)

When breast fed babies seem to be reacting to breast milk, dietary modification can be a powerful tool to manage food sensitivity while successfully enable ongoing breast feeding. In this presentation, Frances explains the process of supporting mothers through this: from identifying triggers, implementing elimination diets and monitoring results to how to safely reintroduce foods/allergens into the diet. Parents are often not aware of dietary options to help manage their baby’s symptoms- providing this treatment modality can often produce excellent results in symptoms while (importantly) avoiding cessation of breast feeding.

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Recognise that food allergens and other food components can have their effect via breast milk 

-      Identify red flags for food sensitivity in babies

-      Understand impacts of potential food sensitivity on babies

-      Understand nutritional adequacy around food exclusions especially if a food group is taken out needs to have replacement of lost nutrients, but can be achieved with professional assistance.

Breastfed babies and food sensitivity: Diet is an option - Frances Walker
01:15 PM
Lunch
02:15 PM

Nisha Gill - A Neuro-physiological approach to trauma minimization in the perinatal continuum – 1.5hr (1.5 L cerp)

The high incidence of birth trauma in current times demands that innovative whole-person and whole-family approaches to trauma prevention are imperative to turn around the tide. Applying a neuro-physiological or polyvagal lens to trauma offers an appreciation of our mammalian roots where a sense of safety and attuned connection are foundational to promoting resilience among birthing families.  This presentation highlights the ways in which perinatal professionals can work at the micro level to help mitigate the potential for trauma and support families to shift from surviving to thriving.

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

- Understand the neuro-physiological basis for trauma including the concepts of neuroception (detection of safety versus threat), window of tolerance/ resilience range, co-regulation on a primordial level, and the defensive survival states of Fight, Flight, Freeze & Appease.

- Identify five main factors which promote a sense of safety and regulation in the pregnant, birthing or postpartum person & their family.

- List three ways in which the potential for trauma can be reduced specifically during each phase of the perinatal journey:  pregnancy, birth and the postpartum.

A neuro-physiological approach to trauma minimisation in the perinatal continuum - Nisha Gill
03:45 PM

Phillip Baker - Breastfeeding, first-food systems and corporate power: Understanding the market and political practices of the transnational baby food industry – 0.75hr (0.75 L cerp)

The global milk formula market has ‘boomed’ in recent decades, raising serious concern for breastfeeding, and child and maternal health. Few studies have investigated the global expansion of the baby food industry, nor the market and political practices corporations have used to grow and sustain their markets. In this presentation, the aim is to demonstrate the strategies used by the baby food industry to shape ‘first-food systems’ across its diverse markets, and in doing so, drive milk formula consumption on a global scale. New modalities of public health action are needed to negate the political practices of the industry, and to constrain corporate power over the mother-child feeding dyad.

At the end of this presentation participants will be able to:

-      Understand the market and political practices used by the baby food industry to expand, sustain and protect markets for commercial milk formulas in Australia and globally

Consider new ideas and proposals for countering the power of the baby food industry in order to advance global breastfeeding and the rights of mothers and children to optimal health and nutrition.

Breastfeeding, first-food systems and corporate power: Understanding the market and political practices of the transnational baby food - Phillip Baker
04:45 PM
Q&A - all speakers
05:15 PM
Close

Heather Harris
BIOGRAPHY

Heather Harris

BN, MMid

Heather first qualified as a midwife in 1970 and has worked in all areas of midwifery practice over the years. She first qualified as an IBCLC in 1991. She was involved in the successful BFHI accreditation for Mitcham Private Hospital, the RWH and Box Hill hospital. She has been an speaker on lactation topics both nationally and internationally. Heather has served as a midwife with Doctors Without Borders in the Ivory Coast, South Sudan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Nepal. She currently has her own private practice in lactation consultancy

 

Catherine Chamberlain
BIOGRAPHY

Catherine Chamberlain

PhD, MScPHP, MPH, GCIRL, GCHSM, BSc (RM)

Dr Catherine Chamberlain is an Australian NHMRC Career Development Fellow and Professor of Indigenous Health at the Centre for Heath Equity, The University of Melbourne. She has worked in maternal health in remote, rural and urban settings over 25 years as a midwife and public health researcher. A descendant of the Trawlwoolway people (Tasmania), her current research project aims to co-design perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex childhood trauma.

 

Lisa Amir
BIOGRAPHY

Lisa Amir

MBBS, MMed, PhD, IBCLC

Dr Lisa Amir is a general practitioner and has been an IBCLC since 1989. She is the author of over 120 peer-reviewed articles on breastfeeding. She works in breastfeeding medicine at The Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She is a Principal Research Fellow at Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University and is the Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal, International Breastfeeding Journal.

Catherine Bell
BIOGRAPHY

Catherine Bell

BSc (Hons), MSc (Comm)

Catherine is the author of The Birth Map: Boldly going where no birth plan has gone before. After becoming a mother, she shifted her focus from marine biology and general science communication to maternal communication and decision making. She is currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Canberra evaluating a new approach to birth preparation she developed in response to the short comings experienced in the current system – Birth Cartography.

Norma Barrett
BIOGRAPHY

Norma Barrett

BA, PGDE, MSc (Public Health Research)

Norma is a lecturer in public health and health promotion for the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University’s Warrnambool campus. Norma has received multiple awards at Deakin as well as a national teaching citation for her work in designing and delivering a wholly online health unit of study to thousands of students across multiple health courses. Her current research explores the support needs of fathers living in Australia during their transition to parenthood and early parenting years.

Mary Kirk
BIOGRAPHY

Mary Kirk

AO

Mary is the former Executive Director and Director of Nursing and Midwifery of the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre. She wants pregnancy and birth to not be treated as a medical issue, the level of medical intervention be reconsidered and for women to get at least six weeks’ post-birth rest with their baby. Her AO award recognises her significant service to midwifery and nursing, and to professional standards including being former Vice President of The International Confederation of Midwifery and an inaugural member of the Nursing and Midwifery Board Australia.

Nisha Gill
BIOGRAPHY

Nisha Gill

BAppSc, Dip C, SEP

Nisha Gill is a Somatic Experiencing (trauma resolution) practitioner, applying a neuro-physiological or bodymind lens to working with trauma using Somatic Experiencing, Somatic Practice, Neuro Affective Touch and counselling. Her special focus is on the resolution of developmental, birth, sexual, pre- & peri-natal and medical traumas. Nisha’s practice is informed by her experiences as birth educator, birth doula, integrative bodyworker, and female embodiment teacher. She formerly worked as a speech pathologist in hospital and rehabilitation settings.

Frances Walker
BIOGRAPHY

Frances Walker

BSc, Dip.Ed, MNut.Diet

Frances Walker dedicates 50% of her Food Intolerance Private Practice working with babies sensitive to food allergens and other food components via the maternal milk. Working with mothers across the nation and locally, Frances supports parents to find a pathway through the confusing world of babies reacting to breast milk with often very distressing symptoms despite having already made dietary eliminations to their diets. Maximising nutrition while supporting elimination with the ultimate aim of re-introducing foods as tolerated is often an individual pathway requiring a thorough detailed analysis. Seeing babies emerge from the fog of symptoms to finding their smiles is reward in itself.

Phillip Baker
BIOGRAPHY

Phillip Baker

PhD

Dr Phillip Baker is a lecturer in human nutrition and research fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Melbourne. His research focuses on understanding the drivers and dynamics of global food systems change and the implications for human and planetary health. His recent work covers the global rise of ultra-processed foods, the political economy of food systems including the power of transitional corporations, and worldwide changes in infant and young child feeding. He is currently leading a large study funded by the World Health Organization on the politics of child nutrition.

Alyce Wilson
BIOGRAPHY

Alyce Wilson

Public Health Physician (MD, MPH, DRANZCOG)

Dr Alyce Wilson is a public health physician and senior research fellow at the Burnet Institute, working in global maternal, child and adolescent health. She holds postgraduate qualifications in public health and obstetrics and gynaecology.

Alyce is co-chair of the International Consortium on Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights, and an Editorial Board Member of the O&G magazine, published by the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In addition, Alyce is a clinician in the women’s health clinics at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne and a Clinical Senior Fellow (honorary) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne.

Alyce is currently completing a PhD examining the quality of maternal and child health systems in Papua New Guinea

Skye Stewart
BIOGRAPHY

Skye Stewart

RM

Skye Stewart is a Registered Midwife, Special Projects Officer and Research Coordinator. First and foremost, they are a proud Wergaia and Wamba Wamba Custodian and Caretaker.

Skye’s cultural role and responsibility is to do what they can to ensure Aboriginal parents and their babies stay safe, well, alive and together. Skye has extensive knowledge and experience of working with Aboriginal community in Victoria and has supported many families accessing and navigating the maternity care system. They are also passionate about having conversations with healthcare professions to ensure cultural safety and wellbeing for Community is at the centre of their care.  

Ellen O'Keefe
BIOGRAPHY

Ellen O'Keefe

Grad Cert in PSM, Bachelor of Applied Science (Nursing Science), RM, RN

Ellen O’Keeffe is the current president of Maternal Health Matters Inc. Ellen is a midwife who has a special interest in post-natal care and preparation for parenting.

Ellen has significant experience in health service planning, safety & quality in health care and reproductive health education. Through Maternal Health Matters, Ellen hopes to see Australia rediscover pregnancy and birth as a family joy not as an illness to be treated; where all health professionals have a role in ensuring that they provide evidence based respectful care and that the women for whom they care, are empowered to be equal partners in this process.

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