Before our visit

Prior to our visit, please check your email for a link to complete the health assessment and consent forms. These will help me better understand you, your baby, and your feeding challenges and goals. Please also:

  • Try not to feed your baby for one hour prior to our scheduled visit if possible. A quick breast feeding session or 1 oz bottle is ok if baby is hangry - they only know their bellies are rumbling, not what time our appointment is

  • Jot down a list of questions you have - more will come up during our appointment, I’m sure

  • Make available all of the typical gear you use to feed your baby: sling, pillows, bottles, pump

During our visit

Unless baby is cueing to feed the moment I step through the door, we will first have a chance to sit down to talk through your and your baby’s health histories, including challenges, feeding concerns, and goals. Every appointment is structured a little differently based on unique circumstances, but I might also:

  • Take a look in baby’s mouth using latex-free gloves to assess oral physiology and function

  • Measure your baby’s pre and post feeding weight to understand milk transfer at breast/chest

  • Look at your nipples before and after nursing to assess tissue damage, and for insight into nipple and tongue posture during feeding

  • Observe a breast/chest feeding session using the props/positions most comfortable for you

  • Assess baby’s reflexes with a whole-body assessment

  • Walk you through gentle rhythmic movements as they relate to your baby’s specific needs, if applicable

I try to be relatively hands-off during appointments, but should hand over hand instruction or physical touch be appropriate I will always ask for your consent.

After our visit

After your appointment, you will receive a written care plan within 24 hours, either directly within the portal or emailed to you as a pdf, depending on your preference. Other things to note:

  • You will have free access to secure messaging on the portal for the 2 weeks following your appointment

  • A summary of your visit will be faxed directly to your baby’s primary care provider

  • Should a follow-up visit be indicated, it will be offered at a discounted rate

While I’d love it if they did, breast/chest feeding challenges may not always have a quick fix. I will problem-solve with you to make feeding as comfortable and functional as possible within the appointment itself, though it may take time, patience, and work to see improvements. I will always keep your feeding goals central to my care plans as we work together to optimize feeding.