The functional anatomy of sucking and swallowing in breastfed babies: part 2. Dr Nikki Mills New Zealand, 2020 Baby February 2021

Dr Nikki Mills is a New Zealand based paediatric ENT surgeon, who has a special clinical and research interest in breastfeeding and is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Nikki worked for many years at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, moving in 2020 to Nelson Hospital in Nelson, New Zealand. In this second episode of an in-depth 3-part conversation, Pam and Nikki continue their deep dive into Nikki’s groundbreaking research. This episode focusses on her histological study of the floor of mouth fascia, her MRI study of infant swallow during breastfeeding, and her endoscopic study of airway and swallow in babies with laryngomalacia. These three studies further clarify the nature of the infant lingual and labial frenula and the biomechanics of breastfeeding. Pam and Nikki continue their discussions about the implications of this research for the clinical support of breastfeeding mother-baby pairs. 

Listen now on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, episode webpage