Your Only Limitation Is Your Imagination

As we mark a year of battling the biggest pandemic known to the modern world, nobody could ever have predicted what we were all in store for. This year has had a negative impact on many groups of people, including the impact of reduced healthcare services-especially those with young families. Our thought and sympathies go to those that have lost loved ones.

 

My name is Diana, I am a Neonatal Nurse, Infant Feeding Specialist, Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and a Tongue-Tie Practitioner and I work privately predominantly covering the Midlands. Many of the women and babies I have been privileged to see are powering through a reduction in face-to-face services, from reduced healthcare visits to peer support groups whether that’s in infant feeding or other social developmental support. This pandemic has really highlighted the value of in person support and contact. A listening ear, or someone who not necessarily has the answers but someone who can just relate to their own situation and be reassured that “this is normal”.

 

Many services for parents with young families are still absolutely available-but with differences. Support has been adapted to meet the challenges in lack of in-person support offered, to ensure that if you do need us, we are still here for you, and let’s face it there are some things that just can’t be done on a ‘zoom’!

 

For myself, I too have had to adapt the services I offer; but I want to reassure you that for the parents that need my services; I am here for you.  I am seeing everyone that needs to see me.  There are triaging measures in place of course, but the aim of this is to not only reduce the contact risk, but also this method ensures that our time spent together is utilised wisely, concentrating on the matter in hand which allows additional time to plan and discuss your care. Rather like peeling away the layers on an onion, the more we meet, the more layers are peeled, the closer we get to reaching the root cause of the feeding issues, thus meeting your feeding goals.

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For Tongue-Tie and lactation consultations I am requesting that an online ‘Health Questionnaire’ is completed first, and this is followed by your first appointment which is a telephone call or using an online platform such as ‘Zoom’. This appointment clarifies the medical, birthing and feeding history, discusses risks (if tongue tie release is a possibility) and finally, what I have termed ‘COVID etiquette’-I don’t know what the correct terminology would be, but this is where I discuss all of the measures I have put in place to allow for us to meet in person, and includes things like PPE, vaccinations, lateral flow testing and taking your temperature.  It is during this appointment that we arrange our face-to-face consultation, and although I appreciate this all sounds like a ‘faff’, this allows me to see you on the same day as the first consultation, ensures our safety, and peel an additional layer of that onion!

If you are having concerns with feeding your little one, I may be able to help you too-visit my website www.tongue-tie.info or call me for a friendly chat 07910608179.

 

I have also moved my classes to an online learning facility too. Some of you may know that I am also a Baby Massage and Baby/Toddler Yoga Instructor, but of course I had no choice but to stop these for now. However, I have now designed and formulated 5 courses, 4 of which are for parents or supporting adults welcoming their little ones into their growing families and these have now been launched and are live.

• Breastfeeding “Know-How”

• Introducing solids

• Baby Massage

• Baby and Toddler Yoga ‘2 in 1’ Course

• Tongue-Tie Awareness Course (for professionals supporting infants with complex feeding needs)

These courses have the added bonuses that they are accessible 24/7, and have unlimited access so you can relax in the comfort of your own home with a brew whilst taking a sneaky peak at a course of interest (see www.d-restricted.co.uk)

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DIANA WARREN RGN, NEONATAL QIS NURSE, LACTATION CONSULTANT (IBCLC), INFANT FEEDING SPECIALIST AND INDEPENDENT TONGUE-TIE PRACTITIONER