Educational Media Reviews Online

Designed as a training tool for health care professionals who work with new breastfeeding mothers, Injoy Video’s Breastfeeding Best Practice: Teaching Latch & Early Management is a winner. The DVD is divided into four modules, each between 8 and 11 minutes in length, making it perfect for classroom or individual instruction. The modules are “Communicating About Breastfeeding,” “Breastfeeding Initiation,” “Teaching Latch & Technique,” and “Anticipatory Guidance and Follow-Ups.” Because they may be watched independently of one another, the module approach will work well for instructional planning. Production values are fresh, clear, concise and consistent with the professional quality training videos we’ve come to expect from Injoy.

Using evidence-based content, this program provides all the essential information necessary for training nurses and lactation consultants to work in a variety of breastfeeding situations. Module 1, “Communicating About Breastfeeding” is especially noteworthy for including segments on body language as well as incorporating cultural sensitivity into sessions with new moms and their families. Each module provides at least one practitioner/patient encounter and discusses what to do or what NOT to do for an effective meeting. Other strong points of each module include “Teachable Moments” as in Module 4 (“Anticipatory Guidance and Follow-ups”) when a lactation consultant shows a mother how to encourage her sleepy baby to nurse. Recognizing the ideal time to discuss or demonstrate important concepts with new moms is invaluable practice. “Evidence-based Tips” are included, providing current knowledge in each section, and in “Breastfeeding Initiation,” (Module 2) is the demonstration of the benefits of skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby, which research shows results in more effective feeding sessions, stimulates the production of oxytocin levels in the mother, and strengthens bonding. In the third module, “Teaching Latch & Technique” computer-generated graphics clearly explain the basic anatomy and physiology of both the mother and the baby during a nursing session. Each module ends with a case study problem that can be discussed with an instructor. Suggested discussion topics are included in a Facilitator’s Guide available on the Injoy web site.

Co-produced by Injoy Videos and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Teaching Latch & Early Management is impressively designed, incorporating considerable amounts of essential information into manageable units. Continuing education credits are available from the ILCA.