Nourishing the Fragile Heart: Practical Strategies to champion Feeding Protocols and Breastfeeding Transition in Cardiac Infants

For infants with congenital heart disease, feeding is never just feeding. Navigating nutritional needs around cardiac surgery, supporting growth and recovery, and establishing breastfeeding despite complex medical care can be challenging for both healthcare teams and families. The journey from tube feeding to breastfeeding is often shaped by prolonged hospital stays, surgical interventions, and the need for coordinated multidisciplinary support.

·       Dr. Serena Gandino will share practical insights into building effective feeding protocols for cardiac infants, highlighting how standardized approaches can support growth, optimize nutrition, and improve consistency of care across multidisciplinary teams.

·       Dr. Rebecca Hoban will focus on enabling successful feeding transitions, offering practical approaches to support lactation, build parental confidence, and help infants with congenital heart disease progress from tube feeding to breastfeeding.

Together, these sessions will equip healthcare professionals with actionable tools to optimize nutrition, champion human milk feeding, and improve outcomes for cardiac infants and their families.

Join two leading experts as they share practical, evidence-based strategies to help cardiac infants thrive.

Moderator: Prof. Tanya M. Cassidy, EMBA Board (Ireland)

AGENDA

·       Welcome & Introduction (5 min)

·       Lecture 1: Building Effective Feeding Protocols for Cardiac Infants By Dr. Serena Gandino, UK (20 min)

·       Lecture 2: Breastfeeding Beyond the Tube: Enabling Feeding Transitions in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease  By Dr. Rebecca Hoban, USA (20min)

• Final Discussion & Q&A: 15 min

💬 Join us for this engaging live session and bring your questions for an interactive discussion with our expert speakers.

This program has been approved for 1.0 Contact Hours; provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #13692