Re: Right brain - left brain

[Guest guest]

Of all the models for training breastfeeding helpers to help the RIGHT brains of

moms. I think LLLI pioneered the model and went internationally viral in a way

that has never been replicated by any other international nongovernmental

organization that I know. So, personally, I don't feel that CLCs or IBCLCs can

even compete unless they are also LLLL. The Internship coordinator for the New

York Lactation Consultant Association feels it is so important that she requires

interns to attend LLL meetings AS A MOTHER -- not a helper. I heartily agree

with her that it is important for breastfeeding helpers to sit and listen and be

in that listening role from the perspective of the mothers. So, personally, I

don't think IBCLCs are the best model for that type of support.

In the models of health care in developing countries -- you need to build up all

the levels of care -- starting with good care at the community level. At the

community level, community health care workers serve a critical role in knowing

how to help members of the community and when to refer people to community

health centers when needed. And then up the chain to hospitals when needed. So

peer counselors such as LLLLs also need SOME left brained assessment skills.

As IBCLCs, we are not the community health workers. That is a role that can be

served quite well by peer counselors of all types, especially LLLL. We are

supposed to be providing secondary care. I see the handful of breastfeeding

medicine specialists such as Dr. Mona Gabbay in our area, as providing tertiary

care.

With this is mind, I think we have a responsibility to do more than just

counsel. We need to fully assess babies and catch those cases that are not

doing well -- and this means we cannot always provide reassurance. Sometimes we

need to point out there really is a problem and here is how you can fix it. I

feel we need a balance of RIGHT and LEFT brain. At the tertiary level, there

may be a tipping towards more LEFT brain than RIGHT.

Best regards,

E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

[Guest guest]

Well said ! I know how much I draw on my LLL background as an IBCLC. It is the time consuming part of the visit, active listening means not just reading a health history there are often things spoken in between the lines. The science of our work is pretty clear now but the why is not always the same for every mom. Since the brain influences our hormonal output and breastfeeding requires the right amount of hormones, as well as physical characteristics, it is important for us to determine what is missing, both physically and emotionally. So while our role is not to counsel it is to be cognizant of emotional factors when determining what can be wrong.

In my "pre-conception" life I was in marketing and sales and I was required to attend brain seminars to help me determine what side of the brain people were present with at meetings. Humans have different instances to which right and left brain activity play a role. If you are talking to someone about "statistics" it will not help them understand how they will "feel" and vice versa. It is important to address the person in the mode that they are open with at that time.

Ever try and talk to a mother who's baby is crying who obviously just took in an appropriate amount, as determined by the scale? Sometimes... "A baby's need for his mother is as great as his need for food..."

Lou Moramarco IBCLC

Birth, Breastfeeding & Before

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

marylou22@...

www.lunadoula.com

Subject: Re: Right brain - left brain

Of all the models for training breastfeeding helpers to help the RIGHT brains of moms. I think LLLI pioneered the model and went internationally viral in a way that has never been replicated by any other international nongovernmental organization that I know. So, personally, I don't feel that CLCs or IBCLCs can even compete unless they are also LLLL. The Internship coordinator for the New York Lactation Consultant Association feels it is so important that she requires interns to attend LLL meetings AS A MOTHER -- not a helper. I heartily agree with her that it is important for breastfeeding helpers to sit and listen and be in that listening role from the perspective of the mothers. So, personally, I don't think IBCLCs are the best model for that type of support. In the models of health care in developing countries -- you need to build up all the levels of care -- starting with good care at the community level. At the community level, community health care workers serve a critical role in knowing how to help members of the community and when to refer people to community health centers when needed. And then up the chain to hospitals when needed. So peer counselors such as LLLLs also need SOME left brained assessment skills. As IBCLCs, we are not the community health workers. That is a role that can be served quite well by peer counselors of all types, especially LLLL. We are supposed to be providing secondary care. I see the handful of breastfeeding medicine specialists such as Dr. Mona Gabbay in our area, as providing tertiary care. With this is mind, I think we have a responsibility to do more than just counsel. We need to fully assess babies and catch those cases that are not doing well -- and this means we cannot always provide reassurance. Sometimes we need to point out there really is a problem and here is how you can fix it. I feel we need a balance of RIGHT and LEFT brain. At the tertiary level, there may be a tipping towards more LEFT brain than RIGHT.Best regards, E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC