Read Time | 5 minutes

Want to know what grinds my gears?

I mean REALLY annoys me to the core?

When parents seek lactation support for painful breastfeeding, long breastfeeding times, or because their baby is gaining slowly and providers, including lactation professionals, 1) don't observe a feeding session (breast or bottle) or 2) ONLY watch a feeding session.

It seems that many decades ago when society woke back up and started encouraging and supporting parents to breastfeed, there was so much emphasis put on proper latching technique, that the concept of oral function and tongue mobility fell by the wayside.

Unfortunately, the lack of attention on oral function results in parents not getting the appropriate level of care they need to reach their breastfeeding goals. For many, their most current breastfeeding goal is as simple as pain-free nursing and yet feels so out of reach.

Breastfeeding success is contingent on how well a baby can organize, coordinate, and manage their ability to eat. This means for parents that struggle with infant feeding an oral assessment is THE MOST important tool for identifying the underlying problem.

That said, so many times, providers skip over providing an oral functional assessment.

One thing that I've learned after supporting countless families over the past six years is that when providers fail to give parents the information they need, they endlessly search for answers. Parents want to know why infant feeding isn't going as expected, but they often are left without guidance on what aspects to investigate.

I've also seen time and time again just how intuned parents are with their babies. Parents are often able to accurately describe the strengths and weaknesses of their baby's feeding ability, but they may not have the vocabulary to communicate these weaknesses to unmotivated providers who are unwilling to investigate on their own.

Nothing irritates me more than when parents are failed.

Don’t believe me? Check out this youtube video where I rant about Lactation professionals who fail parents.

In an attempt to help get the focus back on oral function, and to help you better understand your baby's feeding ability, I've created a FREE packet to help guide you through an easy-to-do Oral Assessment.

This is just one of 9 individual oral function assessment activities

This 13-page assessment packet will help you identify the following:

How sensitive your baby's gag reflex is
If your baby can physically obtain a wide latch
What range of motion your baby's tongue has
How strong your baby's tongue is
How well your baby can maintain suction

Though completing this assessment won't paint the full picture of what may be going regarding your baby's feeding or breastfeeding challenges, and though it doesn't provide you with how to resolve any issues that you can identify ( that's when you ring me up!), completing the assessment will help you learn so much about WHY you are experiencing some of the challenges you're facing.

Every baby that has ANY form of feeding challenges with ANY method of feeding should be assessed to include but not limited to those that are:

Suspected of having tongue-tie (Pre and Post revision)
Slow to gain weight
Gassy, Reflux-y, showing signs of food sensitivity
Showing stress cues while feeding
Uncoordinated, holding their breath, panting

Unable to latch
Unable to stay attached
Unable to drain/bottle the breast well
Unable to stay awake for a full feed
Leaking, clicking, coughing, sputtering

You can use this assessment to guide the discussion with your care providers about if/how a tongue tie revision will be beneficial. It can help you better gauge which suck training activities are needed for your baby - no more searching for the web for general, non-specific, one size fit all activities!

Most importantly, by completing this assessment, it ensures that you have the language to communicate to your Lactation professional what your baby's TONGUE does, even if they reassure you that the latch looks excellent.

I can't stress enough that completing this assessment does not replace seeking professional breastfeeding/lactation support. However, it does provide a great starting place to get the answers you deserve.

So, download the packet by filling out the form below and clicking the download link in the thank you message! Complete the assessment and hop on over to book an appointment so we can get you started with the appropriate care plan!