Looking back, it’s easy to see how Kaitlyn and I got where we are. Both of us had babies with oral ties. We experienced pain, stress, and gaslighting as we searched for answers. We went through the procedures with our 4 day old, 2.5 year old, and 6 year old. We did it with no prep, all the prep, good aftercare, impossible aftercare, scissors, laser, dentist, MD. We know firsthand the exhaustion of searching for the right professional to help, and the isolation of not having the right support. Our struggles inspired us to help other parents avoid what we went through.
We see parents in tongue tie groups searching so hard for answers on their own. And other parents try so hard to direct them. Maybe see this OT for feeding therapy. Try this CST for tension. We liked this dentist but he’s 3 hours away. This ENT took our insurance but we didn’t have a good experience. This person said there was a tie but this person said there wasn’t. We got it cut, but my baby still won’t nurse. It’s so much labor and work to figure out what your baby may need, and then find the best person for the job, when you’re still trying to feed and care for your baby at the same time. It’s exhausting and many parents end up being sent on a wild goose chase to professionals who may be wonderful, but don’t end up helping them meet their goals. Families who work with us get the benefit of over a decade of work in pediatrics and lactation. After their assessment, we know the perfect referral for each unique family. We know which dentist or ENT would be the best professional for the type of tissue restriction present. We know what work the family will need to have the best outcome with the fewest complications and easiest recovery. We empower and equip each family to see the fastest progress toward their goals, because that’s what we would have wanted when we were struggling.
There are a lot of courses out there teaching lactation professionals about tongue ties and oral function. For us, it’s more than a class; it’s a passion. We joke with the parents at our support group to be careful asking us questions about it because we’d be happy to talk to them all day! Our personal journeys led us to taking in-depth courses on oral function and rehabilitation. But we knew firsthand that cutting ties and doing some suck training wasn’t enough. Oral function is about so much more than just tissue in a mouth and referring to a dentist to cut it. Poor oral function has an impact on the whole body - tension, sleep, mental health, emotional regulation, the microbiome. A class wasn’t enough to give us the tools we needed to help families. We continue to learn all the time. We’ve invested in hands-on clinical skills for oral motor skills, sucking and swallowing, infant reflexes, movement and mobility, gut health and food intolerances, breast pain, clogs, mastitis, inflammation, and skin healing for cracked or damaged nipples. We help with oversupply and low supply, and we’ve taken educational courses on medical conditions that make it harder to make milk so we can work with you and your medical provider so you have all the tools to increase your supply.
When you work with us, we’re not there to “latch your baby” or pass on advice that hasn’t been updated in years. One of the reasons our telehealth appointments work just as well as our home visits is because we handle them the same way. We’re not there to do it for you, only to have it fall apart again when we leave. We’re there every step of the way to empower you, equip you, and inform you of all the options available so you can meet your goals. We have real-life, practical tools you can start using immediately to see improvement. We’re curious, we ask questions, we’re always learning so we have the most up to date education and clinical skills. We understand that you’re 50% of the feeding relationship. Your comfort, mental health, and wellness matter just as much as your baby’s, and we’ll never overlook what you’re experiencing. Many times, we’re not the first, or even second lactation professional parents have worked with. But we’re usually the last, because we’ve been in your shoes and we know how hard it is. We know how it feels to know in your gut something is wrong and have everyone around you act like it’s all in your head. We trust that you’re the expert on your baby and what they need and that your lived experience is just as important as anything a textbook may tell us. With us, you’ll get to see firsthand what other families have already experienced. Don’t wait another day to get the help you deserve. Let’s get started.