Another thing along the lines of a recent post I was thinking:   Physical 
Therapists usually see people who have experienced some assault on  their 
systems, an accident, birth trauma, stroke, post-surgery, etc. They are  coming in 
not in an optimized, "normal" state. Some have never been there birth  trauma, 
physiological defect issues, ( congenital heart problems, congenital  limb 
deformations or lack of limb at all) some from something later in life,  like 
lifelong smoking that had led to amputations, or compromised  cardiorespiratory 
function, some an acute assault, like being burned in a fire  but an otherwise 
healthy person. Therapy tries to address healing, and  optimization of function 
to as close to normal as possible for each person.  People who see PTs, and 
OTs and SLTs are seeing one kind of therapist, other  people see 
psychotherapists, and I suppose the goals are similar, needed healing  and optimization of 
function. 
 
In the case of mother-baby dyads post-partum, most of the babies  I see do 
not have major neurological issues, though they are likely to have been  
assaulted by current US birth and post-partum practices( as have their  mothers,)  
which have left some neurological shadows on the baby's behavior  and function. 
As LCs we may do some  therapeutic techniques to try to work  through these 
assaults, but mostly we are trying to help the mother facilitate  her own baby's 
competencies which have been thrown off by modern life and  cultural 
practices. Sometimes I do feel like a feeding therapist because  the post-induction, 
post-analgesia infant can have so many issues that have an  impact on their 
ability to feed competently. Since breastfeeding is so much more  than a way of 
feeding, I find the titles challenging. Lactation Consultant to me  always 
sounds like we are all about the science of lactation, whereas most  private 
practice IBCLCs I know are really looking at breastfeeding as a part of  the 
mother-baby relationship, the setting for first love, the source of so many  
competencies both physical, physiological, immunological, psychological, and  
emotional. What kind of a title would address all that?  :)
 
Peace,
Judy  

Judy LeVan  Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY,  USA




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