Looking for an engaging speaker for your health event?
Peta is available for professional speaking engagements.
Got a lactation specific event?
Are you a health professional looking to up-skill your colleagues in breastfeeding?
Do you work with Mums in perinatal mental health?
Peta is passionate about breastfeeding education, teaching in a way that everyone can immediately understand as well as supporting Mums with low milk supply. These go hand in hand with supporting perinatal mental health. Education is the best way to make a difference in the perinatal period.
Engaging content, games and tricks to make it make sense!
Peta is available to train your staff, conference attendees or group.
Email at info@beachesbaby.com.au
Teaching Skills to Help Mothers Make Sense of Breastfeeding
Despite the complexity of early parenting, thoughtful and well-structured education can make breastfeeding more accessible and less stressful.
It is not just what we teach, but how we teach it.
Many early breastfeeding challenges can be prevented or resolved through effective education. With the right guidance, common issues such as nipple pain and trauma, delayed onset of milk production, early introduction of top-ups, and increased perinatal anxiety can often be avoided.
However, teaching in the early days of parenthood is not without its challenges. Mothers are frequently overwhelmed, fatigued, and processing a great deal of new information. This makes it essential to deliver education in a way that is simple, clear, and memorable.
Practical strategies—such as using concise language, incorporating rhyming phrases, providing physical demonstrations, maintaining a kind and supportive tone, and encouraging reflection—can help families better understand and retain key concepts .
Importantly, effective teaching does not require hands-on contact; demonstrating techniques without touching the parent or baby can empower mothers while respecting their comfort and autonomy.
Early intervention, combined with clear and supportive instruction, can significantly reduce common breastfeeding difficulties and build parental confidence.
Outcomes
Equip vulnerable mothers with the core principles needed for effective breastfeeding.
Develop skills to demonstrate techniques without direct physical contact.
Identify early challenges and provide constructive, supportive feedback.
Communicate with new parents in a way that builds confidence and trust.
Low Milk Supply, Management of Feeding while Protecting Perinatal Mental Health.
Low milk supply affects mothers not only physiologically, but also psychologically. It can broadly be categorised into three types: perceived, situational, and physiological. Accurately identifying the type of low milk supply, educating the family, and developing a realistic care plan are essential components of an IBCLC’s work.
Each dyad requires an individualised approach. Clinicians must balance the need to protect and optimise milk supply while ensuring the baby is fed, alongside supporting the mother’s mental health and wellbeing.
In this webinar, we will explore how to simplify the clinical decision-making process, explore building realistic feeding plans, manage parental burnout, and communicate difficult news to parents when true low milk supply is present. Most importantly, we will discuss practical ways to help families move forward, focusing on achievable next steps and taking the journey 24 hours at a time.