Lactation Consultation and Occupational Therapy
This page is dedicated to help you understand the difference between the lactation consultation visits and the infant occupational therapy visits we offer to the community.
Lactation Services with Grow Play Thrive
Your child's pediatrician can refer to us for a general lactation visit to support your needs,
and/or refer to us for an occupational therapy visit to address specific needs of your baby.
Your Initial Lactation Visit
This visit covers direct nursing, exclusive pumping, prenatal visits, induced lactation, and other unique lactation situations
If directly nursing your baby, our first visit will include, but not be limited to, an assessment of:
A detailed history of pregnancy, birth, and any other pertinent medical history for you and your baby
Your current feeding and pumping routine
A suck assessment screen
An assessment screen for the baby's tongue movements
Visual assessment of the baby's latch
A full feed and weighted transfer
Current weight of the baby and assessment of baby's growth in collaboration with pediatrician records
Recommendations for improving outcomes will include but not be limited to:
Your personalized feeding plan
A personalized pumping plan if applicable
Positioning strategies
Latching education
The visit will be structured differently in situations where you are not directly nursing your baby, such as if you are exclusively pumping, have questions about induced lactation, or scheduling a prenatal visit.
At this time, general lactation services are available at our current private pay rates. We are actively working toward taking insurance for lactation visits, and updates to our insurance list can be found here.
Your Baby's Occupational Therapy Evaluation for Feeding
Occupational Therapy covers feeding challenges from direct nursing and/or bottle feeding
The first occupational therapy visit for your infant visit may come directly from your baby's pediatrician, or it could take place after an initial lactation visit if referred by a medical provider. Reasons for recommending an occupational therapy evaluation for infant feeding can include:
Your baby's doctor or other provider suspects or has diagnosed a tongue or a lip tie, or has been described as having a weak suction
Your baby is having difficulty with gaining weight as expected
Your baby is having difficulty transferring milk from the breast or bottle
Your baby consistently looks toward one side
If your baby was diagnosed with torticollis or plagiocephaly
Your baby had a NICU stay and requires additional support since being discharged from the hospital
Your baby has a congenital diagnosis such as Down Syndrome
Your baby's OT evaluation will include, but not be limited to, an assessment of:
A detailed history of pregnancy, birth, and any other pertinent medical history for you and your baby
Your current feeding routine
Your pumping routine, if applicable
A detailed oral motor evaluation with one or more of the following assessment tools (Beckman Oral Motor Protocol, NOMAS)
Postural assessment for any movement restrictions (body tightness)
An additional assessment screen for the baby's tongue movements
Brief visual assessment of the baby's latch (direct nursing and/or bottle, or other feeding method, dependent on your unique situation)
Current weight of the baby if most recent weight is more than 24 hours old
Recommendations for improving outcomes will include but not be limited to:
home program for oral motor and/or body exercises
positioning strategies
latching education
All occupational therapy visits require a referral from a medical provider (physician, nurse practitioner), and in most cases are covered by insurance. This service is available for families who are providing any combination of human milk and formula.