Presentation Information

From Paper to Practice: The Nuanced Reality of Applying Sucking Skills with Clients

• Speaker: Johanna Sargeant , BA, BEd, IBCLC
• Presentation Type:
• Duration: 60 Mins
• Credits:

Abstract:

Feeding challenges are rarely solved by clinical knowledge alone. We must further develop our understanding of the gap between what we recommend and what families can realistically implement. While intake forms and parental narratives offer valuable starting points, they often provide an incomplete picture of the nuanced complexities families face. This presentation invites lactation consultants to look deeper to uncover the realities influencing feeding outcomes, learning from real-world examples where standard care models didn’t fit, and adaptive strategies were needed.

We will examine how lactation professionals can integrate careful observation, appropriate assessments, careful questioning, and therapeutic exercises with an understanding of each family's unique dynamics, coping capacity, and lived experience. We'll explore how mental health, trauma, familial context, and parenting load impact a client’s ability to implement feeding recommendations and how our approach must flex accordingly. Participants will leave with strategies to build trust, pace information delivery, and co-create plans that are both clinically sound and emotionally manageable. By moving beyond a checklist approach, we can better support families in ways that are compassionate, realistic, and ultimately more effective.