I’ll admit I’m not wild about the title. I would have preferred something catchy like, “Let’s Talk” or “See one. Do one. Teach one.” Nonetheless, “Breastfeeding Best Practice, Teaching Latch & Early Management,” a video co-produced by Injoy Videos and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) has lots of pluses and few minuses.

If you’re looking for an instructional video on basic breastfeeding management for health care providers (HCPs), “Breastfeeding Best Practice, Teaching Latch & Early Management” is a good place to start. Forty-one minutes in length, the video is divided into four modules that can be viewed individually or together.

• Module one, “Communicating About Breastfeeding,” focuses on communication skills—highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly. Real life scenarios give viewers an opportunity to learn the right and wrong way to communicate with mothers and their families, especially fathers.

• Module two targets, “Breastfeeding Initiation,” emphasizing the importance of skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in and dispelling common myths.

• Module three, “Teaching Latch & Technique,” is the longest of the four modules and is jam packed with information. In addition to video footage showing positioning and latch, module three gives viewers a clear and thorough understanding  of infant feeding cues, signs of milk transfer, pattern of weight gain/loss, and frequency and appearance of bowel movements. Viewers see and hear as babies latch on, suckle, and swallow. An added feature is the use of animated segments to reinforce important concepts.

• The last module, “Anticipatory Guidance and Follow-Ups,” focuses on how to help mothers develop realistic expectations and where to find help after they leave the hospital.

Each module concludes with a case study, designed to reinforce, through facilitated discussion, the information communicated in the module. A Facilitator’s Guide is available online at Injoy Videos. In addition, nurses, lactation consultants, and dieticians who watch the entire video and complete the accompanying exercises can earn 1.5 contact hours.

Ultimately, viewers will benefit most from seeing real mothers and real health care providers in real life situations—a definite plus. As for minuses, a greater level of diversity among the health care providers, comparable to that of the mothers, would have been preferred—a minor criticism of an otherwise effective teaching tool.

The $250 price tag seems a bit pricey until you consider that the video is designed for use in health care settings where ongoing training takes place. For more information or to place an order visit the ILCA bookstore.

By any other name, “Breastfeeding Best Practice, Teaching Latch & Early Management” would still be worth watching!