Support for a Healthy Start
Whether your baby needs ongoing feeding assistance after leaving the hospital or you are experiencing new feeding issues once you return home, our experienced Occupational Therapist (OT) are here as a resource and support for you and your baby.
What can therapy do for my baby?
- Assist infants in the coordination of feeding (suck-swallow-breathe pattern)
- Increase success with feeding (bottle or breast)
- Provide bottle nipple recommendations that are appropriate to the infants abilities
- Educate parents on feeding techniques and positioning options
- Provide environmental change recommendations and calming techniques for infant
Signs that your baby may benefit for OT:
- Infant takes longer than 30 minutes to feed
- Caregiver needs to offer chin or cheek support continuously during the feeding to achieve necessary volume (Example: You feel like you are working harder than your baby)
- Infant is a "sloppy" feeder
- Infant has difficulty with overall coordination of feeding-either bottle or breast
Results oriented, evidence-based approach
This team of experienced NICU Occupational Therapists/Certified Lactation Specialists are also IBCLCs or are pursuing this certification have extensive experience in both bottle and breastfeeding techniques. The therapeutic interventions they provide focus on developmentally appropriate skills that ensure infants are receiving the nourishment they need to thrive. Most babies show improvement after only 2 visits and have met their goals in an average of 4 clinic visits.
Resources
Download Infant Feeding Journal page.
How do I get a referral to the infant feeding clinic?
If you have concerns, ask your pediatrician for an occupational therapy evaluation and treatment referral.
For more information on the Infant Feeding Clinic at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, call 314-996-3500.