Integrative Clinical Approaches: Infant Oral Function and Herbal Lactation Care

Thursday, January 21st, 2027

Presented by Melissa Cole, MS, IBCLC 

Hosted by About Families, Desert Care Network, Lactation University

• Location: 1150 N. Indian Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262
• Max attendees: 40
• Registration Fee: $325 early bird by 11/15/2026 $360 after 11/15/2026
• Discount for: Desert Care RNs, About Families employees, LU students 
• 6.25 L-CERPs applied for 
• Includes light snacks and lunch plus 2 months access to the Luna Lactation Herbal Database

Workshop Overview
Providing comprehensive infant feeding and lactation care requires clinicians to look beyond a single symptom, diagnosis, or intervention. This full-day workshop explores two areas that often require thoughtful clinical reasoning: infant oral function and evidence-informed herbal care during lactation.

The morning focuses on infant oral assessment, feeding function, and ankyloglossia. Participants will consider how anatomy, feeding observations, and differential diagnosis work together when evaluating oral function. Emphasis will be placed on critical thinking through cases, function over appearance, compensatory feeding patterns, referrals, and appropriate support before and after interventions.

The afternoon shifts to herbal therapeutics in lactation care. Participants will review evidence, safety considerations, herb-drug interactions, and reliable clinical resources. Herbal considerations, including milk-production, mood, and other perinatal-related needs, will be explored. Clinical cases and interdisciplinary discussion will help participants translate the material into realistic care plans through the lens of their scope of practice.

Learning Objectives
1.  Assess infant oral anatomy and function within the broader context of feeding, medical history, and parent-infant interaction.

2.  Differentiate clinically meaningful signs of oral restriction from other potential contributors to feeding dysfunction and identify appropriate referral and collaborative care strategies.

3.  Describe evidence, safety considerations, contraindications, interactions, and clinical resources relevant to herbal therapeutics during lactation.

4.  Apply individualized clinical reasoning when incorporating oral-function support and herbal care discussions into family-centered lactation care.

Agenda: 

Morning Session: Infant Oral Function From Assessment to Care

8:00 to 8:30 AM  Registration, Coffee and Welcome

Hospital provided: Morning beverage service, coffee and water. Participants may check in and get settled.

8:30 to 10:00 AM Assessing Infant Oral Function Beyond the Frenulum

·  Practical oral anatomy assessment, functional and anatomical findings

·  Feeding/compensation pattern observations as part of oral assessment

·  Connections between parent symptoms and infant findings

·  Signs that suggest contributors beyond oral restriction

10:00 to 10:30 AM Break

10:30 to 11:45 AM Oral Function Clinical Reasoning, Referrals, Support

·  Findings that increase concern for functionally significant frenulum restriction

·  Differential diagnosis, possible contributors

·  Determining what contributes most to the feeding difficulty

·  Timing of referral and intervention; When frenectomy may or may not be the appropriate next step

·  Preparing families for realistic outcomes

·  The lactation professional's role before and after frenectomy

·  Interdisciplinary communication and referral

11:45 AM to 12:00 PM Oral Function Questions and Answers
12:00 to 1:00 PM Lunch

 Afternoon Session: Herbal Therapeutics in Lactation & Perinatal Care: Evidence, Safety, and Clinical Applications

1:00 to 2:30 PM Herbal Safety, Evidence, and Clinical Decision Making

·  Evaluating herbal evidence, herbal pharmacology basics

·  Contraindications, herb-drug interactions

·  Individual herbal considerations, reliable professional resources

·  Scope, documentation, and shared decision-making

·  Moving beyond the assumption that natural automatically means safe

2:30 to 2:45 PM Break

2:45 to 4:15 PM Herbal Applications in Real World Lactation Care

·  Herbal galactagogues, perinatal wellness, mood considerations

·  Choosing among botanical options rather than using a one-size-fits-all recommendation

·  Communication with parents and documentation strategies

·  Monitoring response and knowing when to reconsider the plan

4:15 to 4:30 PM Questions Clinical Pearls and Wrap Up

A final opportunity to integrate the day's material, address questions, and identify practical changes participants can bring into clinical practice.

Additional Notes
·  Morning coffee and water will be provided by the hosts.

·  Digital handouts will be provided before the event.

·  Continuing education and CERP information will be added once finalized.

·  A digital evaluation will be emailed after the workshop. Certificates and approved continuing education documentation will be provided after the evaluation is completed.

 

 

Cancellation and Refund Policy – A full refund (minus paypal fees) will be provided if your cancellation is requested before 30 days of the event. If you need to cancel your registration within 14-30 days of the event, we will refund you 50% of your registration. Refunds will not be provided if cancellation occurs 0-14 prior to the event. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us ASAP to discuss options.

Melissa Cole reserves the right to cancel any event prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including an insufficient number of participants, or unforeseeable logistical problems (e.g. acts of God, war, strikes, pandemic, etc.). An event cancellation due to insufficient numbers would normally occur at least a month prior to departure, unless unforeseeable events impede the event overall.  We ask that you do not make non-refundable, non-changeable travel plans. We also strongly suggest you get travel insurance.

In the event of cancellation, Melissa Cole will make every effort to refund registrants, minus any nonrefundable supplier fees Melissa Cole has already paid for (venue, catering, etc). However in the case of an unforeseeable event, Melissa Cole will not be held liable for providing a refund or have any further liability.

Health Policy – Please respect the health and wellness of others. If you have any symptoms of illness on the day of the workshop, please do not attend and contact us to discuss options. We will abide by any necessary local health protocols and COVID protocols that may be in place at the time of the event.