Dr. Sponseller to be Published in Top OT Research Journal

A paper titled “Exploring the Role of Occupational Therapy with Mothers Who Breastfeed” by Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, OTD, MSOR/L, MEd, chair of the Occupational Therapy (OT) Department at Salus University and associate professor in the College of Health Sciences Education and Rehabilitation (CHER), has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a top OT research journal.

The study on which the paper is based — completed before the pandemic hit in March 2020 — was a 10-week mixed methods pilot exploring whether OT programming could assist breastfeeding mothers to reach their personal occupation-based wellness goals while continuing to breastfeed their babies.

The study was conducted with the Breastfeeding Resource Center (BRC), a nonprofit, community-based center in Abington, Pennsylvania, and longtime partner of Salus OT students. The study included 14 new mothers — the babies had to be younger than three months and the mothers needed to be breastfeeding — who completed an occupational profile and goal attainment scale (GAS) and then participated in 10 weekly OT sessions with coordinated follow-up emails. 

“The OT component is that we used our OT framework to help these mothers develop these wellness goals,” said Dr. Sponseller. “After the 10 weeks, we had all moms reach their personal goals, giving them a little bit of added support so they could feel more confident.”

Results of the study showed the average post-intervention GAS score indicated that most realistic and personal wellness goals – for example, one mom wanted to have time to make a healthy meal, another mom wanted be able to run a marathon the following year - were reached while breastfeeding was continued. The data also showed that OT interventions helped mothers persevere with breastfeeding, feel more confident as new parents and value themselves as well as their baby.

“Some of the statements we heard was one mom said that OT was the first person that asked how I was doing, not just how my baby was doing,” said Dr. Sponseller. “That was pretty impactful.”

The reality for most new families is there is a lot of pressure for new mothers to go back to work and there isn’t always a supportive work environment for new mothers. 

“What was cool is that we worked toward their personal breastfeeding goals and why we work so well at the Breastfeeding Resource Center. Its name, although it probably sounds intimidating to some, works toward whatever the goal is for the mom or the family,” said Dr. Sponseller. “We were able to work well with them because we also said to the moms, that’s the core of what OT is, it’s client-centered. We don't care if you want to nurse your baby for just two weeks, we’re going to help you come up with a time management routine.”

The conclusion of the study — which will be published in the journal within the next six months to a year — showed an increasing role for OT practitioners in assisting new mothers reach their personal and wellness goals in a way that also supports their ability to continue breastfeeding.

But that’s not all. Now that the country is well-accustomed  to making adjustments during a pandemic, while the University’s OT department’s faculty and students alike are still working with the BRC on educational classes, they are doing so virtually now.

‘We were thinking about supporting families during this pandemic, so we’ve developed material toward that, especially toward supporting families with kids going into virtual schooling,” said Dr. Sponseller. “With having the whole family at home and then somebody is supposed to be doing virtual schooling. How do you manage that time?”