Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers: Registered Dietician & Lactation Consultant

Expectant parents are often taught that breast fed is the best fed. It has been found that breastfeeding provides infants with disease-fighting substances that protects them from an elongated list of illnesses. Breast milk is comprised of vitamins and nutrients that are essentially important to a baby’s development during his/her first six months of life. Not only is breastfeeding beneficial to the infant but it also has notable maternal benefits. It has been linked to reducing the risk of postpartum development, stress levels and some types of cancers in nursing women.  Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers, a registered dietician and lactation consultant, devoted 18 years of hands-on research and studies in breastfeeding. Laurie is linked to over 20 peer-reviewed publications, 105 research papers and has co-authored over 70 research publications related to breastfeeding and barriers that impedes lactation success. Her dedication, motivation, and desire to advance in the field of lactation/ breastfeeding is evident and notable. This paper will introduce and delve into the scientific profile of Miss Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers, PhD, RD, IBCLC and her studying relations to the breastfeeding dyad and lactation impediments and success.

Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers became a registered dietician (R.D) in 1990.  In 1993, she became an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Laurie then served nine years as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Human Lactation from 1997 until 2006. She is very prominent in her field of study and her affinity to breastfeeding and lactation is obvious through her extensive work history and research in the field. Laurie continued her education at University of California Davis where she acquired a master’s degree in nutrition. Laurie’s obvious urges to advance in human lactation provoked and inspired her to work with hundreds of breastfeeding mother-infant dyads throughout her 18 years as a research associate. In 2004, she circled back to the University of California where she obtained a PhD in epidemiology. Her interests in epidemiology could be closely related to her interest in lactation, health and maternal and infant disease control. From 2009- 2016 Laurie spent approximately seven years as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Her focus has been constant, relentless and exemplary.

At present, Laurie is an Associate Professor of Nutritional Services and the Ruth Rosevear Endowed Chair of Maternal and Child Nutrition, at the University of Cincinnati. One of her many research articles that grasped my attention was her article titled “Growth of breastfed infants.” The article contrasts the growth between breastfed and formula-fed infants and “describe the development and utilization of infant growth references and growth standards; introduces the new World Health Organization growth velocity standards for early infancy (which provide standards for gain in g/day during the first weeks of life)” (Nommsen-Rivers and Dewey, 2018). In this publication, Laurie analyzes and correlates infant growth rates to the type of lactation the babies are receiving and their weight. She also weighs in on how the retrieval of breast milk to infants in the first two days and so on is vitally important to the growth and development of the infant in the future. In this publication, her standpoint is obvious, and she makes it very clear that breastfed is the best fed.

As I continued to extend more deeply into Laurie Nommsen-Rivers research publications, I came across another article, this one titled “A Case Control Study of Diabetes During Pregnancy and Low Milk Supply.” The purpose of the study was to make ascertain whether a mother with a record or history of diabetes during pregnancy as “a marker of perinatal glucose intolerance” augmented the odds of having a low milk supply diagnosis (Nommsen-Rivers and Riddle 2016). In the conclusion of the study, it was ruled out that nursing mothers diagnosed with a low supply of milk or low lactation were undoubtedly and significantly more probable to have had a diabetes diagnosis during pregnancy than that of women with any type of lactation problem. Women with latch or nipple problems were less likely to have a diabetes diagnosis during pregnancy. The publication suggested that maternal glucose intolerance impeded lactation. Laurie continued to study deeper into this as further research was needed in elucidating exactly how maternal glucose intolerance stopped and impacted maternal lactation.

Throughout the review of the abstracts of Ms. Nommsen-Rivers research publications I continuously found the trend of maternal lactation and proper infant and maternal nutrition. The correlation to lactation impediment and maternal and infant health is also noted. In a publication authored solely by Nommsen and titled, “Does Insulin Explain the Relation between Maternal Obesity and Poor Lactation Outcomes? An Overview of the Literature”, Laurie elaborates on the correlation of obese pregnant women and the augmented risk of postponed or delayed lactogenesis or initiation of lactation and a short duration of breastfeeding. The abstract of the publication goes on to explain the connection of maternal obesity and a significant risk factor for pre-diabetes and insulin resistance. In this publication, Laurie finds that “insulin is now considered to play a direct role in lactation, including essential roles in secretory differentiation, secretory activation, and mature milk production” (Nommsen-Rivers 2016). Her interests in this field continuously fuel her constant research. It’s unfortunate that I did not have the pleasure of interviewing her. There are so many things that I would have loved to ask her. Her research is truly remarkable!

Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers is completely dedicated to the maternal lactation and infant nutrition field of her study. Her dedication to continuously research and improve lactation in breastfeeding dyad is exemplary. At no time in her career has she stopped her research on the topic. Instead, Laurie spent majority of her life and still is advancing in her career, acquiring more credentials and staying engaged in activities that would increase her knowledge for the betterment of the nursing mother’s lactation improvement. Her invested research is admirable and exhibits everything that someone should desire to have in their field of study. She inspires me to pursue my dreams of being a neonatal nurse. Her determination has taught me to never stop investing in what I believe me. Her work and research data have greatly impacted my decision in lactation methods (breastfeeding) when I become a first time mother. Laurie is relentless, motivated, and remarkably profound in lactogenesis advancement! I can only dream to be the type of scientist she is!

 

Works Cited

KG, N. (2018). Growth of breastfed infants. – PubMed – NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19827923 [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

Laurie A Nommsen-Rivers; Does Insulin Explain the Relation between Maternal Obesity and Poor Lactation Outcomes? An Overview of the Literature, Advances in Nutrition, Volume 7, Issue 2, 1 March 2016, Pages 407–414, https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.011007

Laurie-Nommsen-Rivers. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.laurienommsenrivers.com/

Nommsen-Rivers, L. and Dewey, K. (2018). Growth of Breastfed Infants. [online] Liebertpub.com. Available at: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/bfm.2009.0048 [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

 Nommsen-Rivers, L., & Riddle, S. (2018). A Case Control Study of Diabetes During Pregnancy and Low Milk Supply. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26859784

 University of Cincinnati Research Directory. Laurie Ann Nommsen-Rivers. Retrieved from https://researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/nommsele