Cleft Lip or Palate: Smart Strategies to Help You Breastfeed Your Baby
July 25, 2016
Hosted by Marie Biancuzzo, RN MS IBCLC
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Babies can be born with a wide variety of congenital conditions that create unusual hurdles for the breastfeeding journey. Only rarely, though, is breastfeeding impossible. Unfortunately, many parents of babies who are born with a cleft lip and/or palate are told they cannot breastfeed. Before you accept this opinion, before you give up and formula-feed, listen to this episode. Marie and her guest, Leslie Turner, RN IBCLC provide an experience-based look at the needs and feeding options for babies with cleft lip and/or palate. You’ll find out how an interdisciplinary cleft team can provide support for breastfeeding success. Discover how to develop and carry out a plan to breastfeed your baby as fully as possible, and recognize the importance of adjusting that plan after the baby’s surgery. Learn how to access the many resources that are available in your community, and online. For babies affected with cleft lip and/or palate, breastfeeding is not only optimal, it’s usually possible.
Born to be Breastfed
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Every new mother hears that breast is best. Many decide to breastfeed so their baby has the best. But soon after birth, the days are often fraught with sleep deprivation and conflicting messages from peers, family members, and health care professionals. Later, negative messages from the media and critical comments from family members and others may trigger mothers to question their decision. Feelings of inadequacy, intimidation and societal pressure to wean can cause mothers to give up breastfeeding before meeting their goals.
The aim of this show is to empower parents to overcome the barriers that keep them from beginning or continuing to breastfeed. Through discussion of hospital practices, milk supply, medications, returning to work, milk storage options, and more, this show will provide an informed and supportive voice for new families and established families, so that they can take charge of their breastfeeding experience from conception through weaning.
Marie Biancuzzo, RN MS IBCLC
Marie Biancuzzo started helping mothers, babies and families to succeed at breastfeeding more than thirty years ago. Fondly remembered for decades by mothers, she earned their trust by helping them to cut through the misinformation, bust the myths, and believe in themselves. Among her peers, Marie has received international recognition as a clinical expert, book author, and national-level change agent. She was a founding member of the United States Breastfeeding Committee, the past president of Baby-Friendly USA, and the founding editor of Nursing for Women's Health.
Marie has both depth and breadth of expertise from having worked in community and teaching hospitals, with mothers and health care providers, in nearly all subspecialties of maternal infant health. From the mother’s hospital bedside to the university classroom, Marie has honed her skills at helping people be good consumers of health care information.
A native of the Rochester, New York area, Marie now resides in the Washington DC area but crisscrosses the country as Director of Breastfeeding Outlook, the education company she founded in 1998. Through her courses and seminars, Marie works to help nurses and other professionals learn how to help families with breastfeeding and related perinatal topics. Recognized for her warmth and personable teaching style, Marie continues to provide direct assistance to mothers, as well.
Marie writes weekly for her blog, The Gold Standard Line.
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