A review of cases of short frenulum (tongue-tie) seen in a recent year at the Lactation Institute and Breastfeeding Clinic provides data about its relationship to sucking and breastfeeding problems such as insufficient infant weight gain and reduced milk supply, sore nipples and repeat bouts of mastitis in the mother. Frenotomy was recommended for ten of 13 babies who appeared to have a short frenulum. Three mothers chose not to hae the frenulum clipped and either gave up breastfeeding or continued to experience problems. Breastfeeding was successfully established by the five healthy babies whose frenulum was clipped. The two babies for whom frenotomy did not completely correct breastfeeding problems had severe birth defects.
Despite advances in lactation skills and knowledge, insufficient milk production still continues to mystify mothers and lactation consultants alike. Based on 3 cases with similar threads, a connection is proposed between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insufficient milk supply. Described are the etiology and possible symptoms of PCOS such as amenorrhea/oligomenorrhea, hirsutism, obesity, infertility, persistent acne, ovarian cysts, elevated triglycerides, and adult-onset diabetes, along with possible pathological interference with mammogenesis, lactogenesis, and galactopoiesis. Clinical suggestions include guidelines for screening mothers and careful monitoring of babies at risk. Further research is necessary to confirm the proposed association and to develop therapies with the potential to improve lactation success.
This study examined the correlation between cultural racism and burnout among 252 Black mental health therapists in the United States. Using the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, the authors aimed to provide a better understanding of stress appraisals (i.e., cultural racism) that affect burnout among Black mental health therapists. Perceived cultural racism and hours worked per week were found to be predictive of burnout. The findings highlight the importance of attending to cultural racism as a work stress that impacts the well‐being of Black mental health therapists.
The present study examines the relationships among burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and race-related stress among a national sample of 250 Black mental health therapists (counselors, social workers, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists). We investigated the predictive nature of the three subscales (Individual Racism, Cultural Racism, and Institutional Racism) of the Index of Race-Related Stress–Brief Version (IRRS-B) and selected demographic variables on therapists’ reports of burnout and STS assessed on the Professional Quality of Life Scale–Version 5 (ProQOL-5). All three forms of race-related stress significantly predicted both burnout and STS for Black mental health therapists. Of the demographic variables, hours worked per week significantly predicted burnout and STS. Additionally, highest degree obtained significantly predicted STS for Black mental health therapists. The utility of these findings in understanding the connections among race-related stress, burnout, and STS are discussed as well as directions for future research.
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