top of page

Your Clinician

Headshot of owner with brown hair and bangs

Dr. Tara-Renee Whalen, OTD, OTR/L, IBCLC, NLP

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapist Registered & Licensed

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

NOMAS® Licensed Professional

Dr. Tara earned her Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree in 2008 from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, as valedictorian of her graduating class.  She is nationally board certified by NBCOT with a specialty in Pediatrics, and licensed to practice occupational therapy in Hawai'i and Alaska.  Additionally, she is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), allowing her to provide the highest level of lactation care to her families, in combination with her occupational therapy training and experience. 


Her passion in developing this practice has been inspired over the years by her clients, and more recently, her own experiences as a nursing parent, in order to provide high quality care for infants and children who need additional support in their feeding skills. Most importantly, she wants the families she works with to enjoy their home program, and build confidence while developing important life skills.


Dr. Tara's specialty post-professional certifications & education include:

* Lactation Consultant Education Certificate - UCSD Extended Studies *

* Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS®) Licensed Provider *

* Beckman Oral Motor® Certified Provider *

* Beckman Advanced Orofacial Deep Tissue Release *

* Total Motion Release (TMR TOTS) Level 1 & 2 Trained *

* Aerial Yoga and Aerial Movement Certified Instructor (Aerial Silks, Aerial Hammock, Aerial Lyra, and Aerial Trapeze) *
* Vital Links Courses/Certification: *

---Therapeutic Listening® Certified

---Building Blocks for Sensory Integration (Reflex Integration)

---Auditory Defensiveness

---Trauma Informed approach to Sensory Processing

---Bilateral Integration

---Astronaut Training

* AEIOU Approach to Feeding *

* Learning/Handwriting Without Tears® *

* Pediatric Kinesiotaping *

* And More! *

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.

Nursing Newborn

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.

Breast Milk Pump

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.

Baby

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.

bottom of page