Dr Erin Sundseth Ross (left) and BOPDHB Speech
Language Therapist, Helen Liddall (right) at the two day
workshop which attracted speech language therapists,
dieticians, and other health professionals from across
New Zealand and beyond.
International paediatric feeding specialist
in Tauranga
By Speech Language Therapist, Helen Liddall.
World renowned paediatric feeding specialist
Dr Erin Sundseth Ross was in Tauranga
recently for a two day workshop focused on
evidence based practical ways of feeding
preterm babies and medically fragile infants.
It’s the first time the USA based professor has presented SOFFI in
New Zealand and I managed to track her down via LinkedIn.
After years of working in Neonatal Intensive Care and on
programs to improve the practice of feeding premature babies,
as well as medically fragile infants, she developed a teaching tool
guide for health professionals.
The Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants (SOFFI) evidence
based guideline helps clinicians recognise and treat factors which
impact on a preterm baby’s or infant’s ability to feed.
While we support breastfeeding is best, preterm and medically
fragile infants often don’t have the ability to feed in this way. They
are bottle fed, ideally with breastmilk.
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“Feeding preterm babies and medically fragile infants can be very
stressful for caregivers. Health professionals trained using SOFFI
are able to better support caregivers going forward. We’ve tracked
children and found those fed using this tool have better outcomes
than those that are not,” says Dr Sundseth Ross.
It was advantageous to bring Dr Erin Sundseth Ross to New
Zealand to present to us the latest research and training in the
SOFFI method for fragile infant feeding so that we can give
the current best service possible to our babies; families and
caregivers.
I submitted a proposal to our Allied Health committee to bring Erin
to New Zealand and began advertising the workshop nationwide
hoping to get 25 attendees to break even. To my surprise well
over that number signed up and attendees included Speech
Pathologists from New Zealand; Australia, the UK and Sri Lanka;
Dieticians; SCBU Nurses and Manager; a Paediatrician and a
student from Canterbury University.
Surplus funds from the two day workshop will be used for future
professional development initiatives for our Allied Health staff.
This workshop has been a fantastic success and we were very
excited to be hosting it here in the Bay of Plenty.