“Breastfeeding is not just a method of delivering nutrition; it’s also a way of establishing a relationship, requiring a sensitive dialogue between mother and infant… they learn to trust each other and to feel confident of each other’s love.
This is baby’s first relationship in life and one that sets the tone for how baby learns to view the world”.
- William Sears, MD
For Chiropractors and Bodyworkers
Learn to identify cranial, spinal, muscular and dural imbalances relating to breastfeeding as well as how to specifically address them. Gain current research to validate your work. Become familiar with the scope of other birth professionals in order to collaborate, gain referrals and provide the overall best care for your clients.
For Lactation Consultants and Birth Professionals
Learn specific infant anatomy in order to understand why your patient's baby is struggling. Learn about the long term physical, emotional, and neurological implications of these issues. Become familiar with the scope of bodyworkers in order to provide the best support for your clients. Gain evidence based research to support your instincts.
For Breastfeeding Parents
Gain resources to help you successfully breastfeed your baby without pain or struggle. Learn WHY breastfeeding is best. Why are you doing this? Understand how the alignment and tone of your child's body effects her development and long term health; both neurologically and emotionally.
Breastfeeding is Best.
Breast milk contain nutrients that literally build your baby's brain and nervous system; protecting him from infection and many neurological challenges. The connection during feeding is also how your baby forms his sense of love, security and well-being in this world. This is worth doing and supporting! Successful breastfeeding isn’t always easy; though. New mothers are often desperate for help- which may not be available to them in the traditional medical setting. Often the issue is not with the mother, but with imbalances within the baby's alignment and tone making it impossible for her to open the jaw, raise the tongue, have a strong latch and suck, and relax her body as nature intended.
These workshops are designed to teach you to UNDERSTAND the infant anatomy/physiology and how the pieces affect the whole. You will learn straight- forward techniques so you can apply this knowledge rather than simply memorize concepts that are difficult to use in daily practice. You will learn to identify structural issues in the baby, specific anatomy to explain those issues; and how to either correct these issues or to refer to the appropriate care provider.
Our goal in sharing these classes with you is to build a bridge between the birth/lactation professional and the therapist; thereby creating skilled caregivers and allowing confident referrals for that care. In this way, we can all ensure that the children of our world grow up nurtured, secure, and strong. That is a awesome vision!
You will also learn about the breastfeeding world as a whole; allowing you to speak the same language as your patients and other providers, thereby establishing yourself as an integral part of the team.
The Anatomy of Breastfeeding
What's going on with the baby???
Hi… I’m Dr. Lynn Gerner.
I've been a Chiropractor and a Pediatric specialist for over 16 years. I've had the joy of caring for thousands of pregnant women and helping them to have safer, easier births. I've also had the honor to care for their babies, either as preventative wellness care, or to address issues such as poor breastfeeding, colic, or a myriad of other imbalances. This led me down a path of higher education to learn more about the causes of these issues; finding an absolute fascination with the cranial/sacral system and all of the infinite connections. As I immersed myself in the birth world and networked with doctors, midwives, lactation consultants, doulas, etc... hoping to gain referrals to help these little ones, I eventually realized that there are some huge barriers preventing the ideal collaboration of care.
One barrier is we do not have a collective understanding of each other's discipline. The Nurse Midwife probably doesn't know that a Chiropractor can address imbalances of the baby's jaw for a better latch and suck. The Lactation Consultant may identify that there is a structural issue with the baby preventing him from nursing properly, but she may not have the anatomical knowledge to identify it.
The other huge barrier is that, even if the birth professional identifies the issue AND knows that body work can help to correct it, there simply is not a continuity of care among all Chiropractors and Bodyworkers. WHO do they confidently refer these babies to? Not all therapists are trained properly to deliver skilled, effective care. Evidence based research of the effectiveness of this care isn't widely circulated. We Chiropractors often do not have the confidence of other medical professionals so that we may apply our skills.
The physical, neurological, and emotional benefits of breastfeeding are undeniable. The physical limitations of the baby often make it so difficult to breastfeed, that Mom gives up. It's so sad when help was there, but nobody made the referral! My driving passion is to bridge that gap- to train skilled therapists of all disciplines and to complete the circle of care.
It's SO worth it.
Our Mission at The Good Life Learning-
To make a positive impact on the world one person at a time through our gifts of Healing, Education, and Genuine Care.
About the facilitator:
Dr. Lynn Gerner, D.C., FICPA
Graduate: Life Chiropractic College West, 2004. Fellow, International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and trained doula. Post Graduate faculty, Life Chiropractic College, West. Preferred Affiliate- Capital City Doula Collective, Sacramento, CA. Founding partner of The Good Life Collective, Davis, CA.
Dr. Gerner has been a Maternity and Pediatric Specialist in private practice for over 16 years with an additional focus on functional infant cranial work. She teaches other professionals to support breastfeeding across the USA and internationally. She is a wife, mother of 3 grown children, and lives in Northern CA with her husband and their 2 rescued dogs.
If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside of yourself. Something to repair tears in your community. Something to make life a little better
for people less fortunate than you.
That's what I think a meaningful life is-
living not for oneself, but for one's community.
-Ruth Bader Ginsburg