The Breastfeeding for the First Time Mothers - Essay Example

Running Head: Breastfeeding for the First-time Mothers Breastfeeding for the First Time Mothers Clifton Jamil Kenon Jr., RN, BSN, IBCLC ofNorth Carolina at Charlotte Breastfeeding for the First Time Mothers Introduction Planning has always remained an essential and imperative phase in preparing for a class. Whether it is a business project, a secondary classroom, or an awareness program in the healthcare system, planning plays an important role in determining success or failure of the task. For this reason, as a community educator, I will be focusing primarily on different aspects of lesson planning in this paper as a preparation for a series of two classes on the subject of ‘Breastfeeding for the first-time Mothers.’ The target group for this course will be those that are Health care professionals (fellow nurses etc.), English speaking, have delivered their first baby, and are postpartum in an inpatient hospital unit. They will be mothers that have requested a course and are coming of their own free will. Resources Availability of resources has been a major issue for educators, as lack of resources often causes ineffective outcomes. However, in order to deliver classes efficiently, there will be need of various resources. In specific, during the classes, I will be focusing significantly in utilizing the tools of information technology that will enable me in achieving the objectives for this course in an efficient and interactive manner. Additionally, it will be a lot easier to inform the audience about different aspects of breastfeeding, and especially first-time breastfeeding through equipments such as multimedia projector that will be the fundamental support in delivering content of the course adequately and significantly. It will allow me to show pictures and power point presentations from a computer and actively engage the audience with the information. Besides a multimedia projector, a dry erase board is another resourceful tool that will allow on the spot discussions and noting down of relevant points during the class. Using secondary research methodology to acquire quality resources from the library and from the internet will be very beneficial for me in delivering the class effectively, as well as for the audience to understand the matter appropriately. Specifically, the internet will allow me to acquire pictures and videos that will facilitate me in delivering the information to mothers that will not be in my reach through the medium of language. Sources from the internet that I plan to utilize are the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE, 2010) resource page, as well as the La Leche League (LLLI, 2010) resource page on their respective websites. From these websites, one gold standard reference - “The Baby and Me Book” (latest edition) (IBLCE, 2010) will be chosen to develop content along with consideration of various other books listed in the reference list. Furthermore, I will be considering the utilization of flash cards and handouts during the course to ensure adequate implementation of the lesson plan, and fulfillment of identified objectives for the course (DeYoung, pp. 109-135, 2009). Objectives for the Course As earlier mentioned, it is very imperative for a researcher, educator, or teacher to identify aims and objectives before implementation, and thus, following are specific objectives that will remain fundamental basis during the course. Cognitive Domain In the cognitive domain (Nwlink, 2009), the foremost objective of the course is to focus primarily on the understanding level of the audience regarding the definition, interpretation, and application of different facts, factors, and concepts related to breastfeeding. In addition, I will put efforts to facilitate the audience in comprehending different aspects and issues related to breastfeeding that may allow them to breastfeed their children with effective implementation of knowledge in appropriate manner. For the entire course, one objective desired by the educator would be that each course participant would be able to apply the knowledge gleaned from the course and effectively calculate the amount of breast milk that would normally be produced for six months. These tasks will be included in the final handout at the conclusion of the course. Specific cognitive objectives for the course will follow. Affective Domain In the affective domain (Nwlink, 2009), it is the major objective of the course to facilitate the audience in responding to breastfeeding in satisfying manner, and enable them to take this responsibility in motivational manner while listening and resolving their issues and concerns related to breastfeeding. Besides physical process, breastfeeding is a significant platform for mothers to create boundless relationship with their child, and the educator will attempt to facilitate a positive attitude in mothers towards breastfeeding. At the completion of these classes, the participant will value the commitment to exclusive breastfeeding for six months. This will be measured by verbal declarations to the commitment to exclusively provide breast milk only for the infant for six months. Psychomotor Domain Besides understanding and emotional satisfaction, it is very imperative to train first-time mothers to breastfeed their children appropriately and adequately. For this purpose, it is the objective of this course to include learning and practice sessions during which, the audience may learn and practice different steps of breastfeeding, and display their understanding towards various health-related issues in a practical manner. Specific aspects of the psychomotor domain (Nwlink, 2009) will be in focus on the notion of guided response. With appropriate coaching and encouragement, the new mother will readily position the newborn, successfully latch the newborn, hand express milk from the breast, and utilize proper sterilization techniques of breastfeeding equipment. Measurement Besides identifying objectives, it is very imperative to evaluate the course, in order to analyze the success of the course in terms of fulfillment of different learning objectives. In this regard, this course will end with a short assessment that will include questionnaires, interviews, and more importantly, evaluation forms regarding the class. These methods of measurement will be very effective in analyzing efficacy of the course with respect to different learning domains. In addition, the educator will provide feedback forms and round table discussion to participants of the course that will provide an opportunity for the educator to evaluate the comprehensive understanding of achievement for the course. Objectives for the First Class With a focus on understanding and grasping knowledge about breastfeeding, the educator will distribute learning objectives from the cognitive domain be distributed to each class participant in the beginning in the paper format (syllabus). At the conclusion of the course, there will be an opportunity for each participant to determine the level of fulfillment of identified objectives verbally, as well as in the written format. Objectives for the first course in the cognitive domain include: Knowledge The participants will retain knowledge from the course about the advantages of breastfeeding as evidenced by verbally stating five exclusive benefits of breastfeeding versus formula feeding (Lauwers & Swisher, 2010) during the debriefing session. Comprehension The participants will be able to identify the correct process for thawing and freezing breast milk (Lauwers & Swisher, 2010), as evidence by writing the correct procedure at end of the first course. Application The participants will successfully apply the knowledge learned about weight gain in the newborn while using the resources that include construction of a graph of expected weight gain of their newborn over three months. Analysis The participants will troubleshoot an electric grade breast pump by assembling one systematically with limited guidance. Synthesis The participants will analyze reasons of unsuccessful latch using La Leche League resources (LLLI, 2010) to create a unique form of positioning infant and achieving successful latch. Evaluation Finally, the participant will comprehend the necessity of an appropriate electric breast pump (Lauwers & Swisher, 2010) by selection of the most appropriate breast pump out of a group. Content Outline Because the class will include newborns and new mothers, the class shall be no longer than three hours. In the first hour, students will attempt to introduce them briefly along with brief introductions of their newborn babies. Subsequently, the instructor through Power Point will present the benefits of breastfeeding while allowing questions and queries during the Q/A session of approximately thirty minutes. In the last thirty minutes of the first hour, the instructor will show breastfeeding video about proper latch and positioning, as well as expression of breast milk and storage (Lawrence & Lawrence, 2005). A short break will be part of the class after the first hour. During second hour of the course, there will be hands-on exercises including setting up an electric breast pump, successful positioning of the newborn, and techniques for proper latch (Renfrew & Fisher, 2004). In final hour of the course, students will go through checkpoint stations. In the checkpoints, students will correctly latch and position infant, choose a correct breast pump, and lastly, assemble it (Genna, 2007). Finally, students will have to solve a ten-question quiz about weight gain, sterilization of tools and proper storage of breast milk that will be an effective methodology of evaluating understanding level of the participants. In addition, at the bottom of the quiz page, students will have the opportunity to share their feelings about the learning and general course. Teaching Methodology Teaching a class to new mothers and newborns will present significant challenges related to the quietness and attention span of the students. Because of the uniqueness of such a group, the educator has planned the class to a limited period of less than three hours with only three participants. The methodology to facilitate such a course will be a combination of lectures through PowerPoint and an interactive video with the help of multimedia projector (audio/visual). This will enable the instructor to serve as a role model for the participants, as well as help students with their listening abilities. The follow-up to the first class will be a one-hour open discussion that will provide learners with an opportunity to verify, confirm, and validate their learning material, as well as improve their problem solving skills to better develop positive attitudes toward breastfeeding. The utilization of simulation in choosing a breast pump and assembling one will enable students to engage in the real world and be actively involved in identifying and solving problems that could happen in the real situations (De Young, 2009). Conclusion In conclusion, conducting a class with such a topic and unique group of students and their newborn babies will certainly be a unique experience. Through a combination of questions and answers, traditional lecture and real-life simulation, it is the anticipation of the educator to establish a commitment towards breastfeeding, as well as increment in its awareness as well. Because of the uniqueness of the group, the follow-up class will include only discussions that will enable the students to reflect on the learned strategies, as well as continue their practices as encouraged mothers with exclusive breastfeeding without formula supplementation. Finally, the most significant outcome from this course will be that each participant would make a commitment to breastfeeding for six months exclusively. References DeYoung, S. (2009). Teaching Strategies for Nurse Educators (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River; New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Genna, C. W. (2007). Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. IBLCE. (2010). Official Website of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Retrieved on March 03, 2010: http://www.iblce.org/ LLLI. (2010). Official Website of La Leche League International. Retrieved on March 03, 2010: http://www.llli.org/ Lauwers, J., Swisher, A. (2010). Counseling the Nursing Mother. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Lawrence, R. A., Lawrence, R. M. (2005). Breastfeeding. Mosby. Nwlink. (2009). Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains: the Three Types of Learning. Retrieved on March 03, 2010: http://www.nwlink.com/~Donclark/hrd/bloom.html Renfrew, M., Fisher, C. (2004). Breastfeeding. Celestial Arts. Read More