Queen
Sirikit National Institute of Child Health (Bangkok)
I was
referred to Dr. Siraporn Sawasdivorn (photo) by Dr. Miriam Labbok, a colleague and
Director of the Carolina Gloable Breastfeeding Institute. Dr. Sawasdivorn is Director of the Queen Sirikit National
Institute of Child Health (Bangkok) and Deputy Chair of the Thai Breastfeeding
Center. She arranged for a HUG presentation to nurses, physicians and
lactation specialists at her institution.
About 60
professionals sit before me in a lovely room at the Queen Sirikit National
Institute of Child Health, Bangkok (photo). I've been invited by its director (and
Deputy Chair of the Thai Breastfeeding Center), Dr. Siraporn Sawasdivorn, to
introduce HUG Your Baby's contribution to breastfeeding support. Having just
completed the Thai translation of The HUG DVD the night before, I feel a bit
more able to share the ways that understanding a baby's behavior is critical to
extending breastfeeding duration.
Though many mothers stop breastfeeding because they believe they have inadequate milk supply, 95% have, instead, either INADEQUATE
UNDERSTANDING of normal newborn behavior or a mismanaged breastfeeding problem.
"Teaching a parent about an SOS (Sign of Over-Stimulation), predictable
changes in normal crying patterns, active vs deep sleep, and a baby's
interactive ability is critical to boosting a mother's understanding of her baby
as well as to keeping her on the road to breastfeeding success." I hope this
translated DVD will be useful to Thai mothers and those who serve them.
Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital (Bangkok)
The favorite part of our last day of teaching in Bangkok was
"'broadcasting' a baby's behavior." Today Jim and I joined Meena
Sobsamai, a midwife and lactation consultant at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital (photo),
for an all-day HUG training. This class had been offered to professionals for
the day and to expectant and new parents for the morning.
Since four pregnant
women, and eight parents and babies, participated off and on during the day, I
took the opportunity to "See and Share" a baby's behavior with this
group of HUG learners. Because some of the babies were older (up to 8 months),
I was able to go from baby to baby and "Broadcast" fine motor
changes, evidence of attachment (when the baby "references her parent" - glances back at parent for assurance),
the developing sense of object permanence, and subtle indications of early
stranger anxiety.
One might imagine that a family could feel "on the spot" and anxious about their baby's "performance" in a public setting like this. However, I find that "Broadcasting" a child's behavior not only puts parents at ease but also delights them as I share the capabilities of their newborn.
The way parents sparkled when I would "Broadcast"
their baby's behavior made the point: using this HUG Strategy is an effective
short cut to a trusting relationship with parents. And once that relationship
is established, real teaching and support can occur. I think this message got
through, even in the translation from English to Thai and back!
Here is a link to online training about HUG Strategies and to another HUG Strategy story not to miss!
Here is a link to online training about HUG Strategies and to another HUG Strategy story not to miss!
