OT and Lactation can have a very complementary relationship however, sadly it's frequently a complicated relationship instead. In this episode Katie Oshita and Nat Udwin discuss how IBCLCs and OTs can not only support each other but support families for better results. OT is all about skills to "do your job" which can mean work skills for an adult, but for a baby their job is eat, sleep, poop, exist comfortably. In their OT practice, Nat sees a lot of fussy babies, with sleep, feeding breathing and regulation difficulties. There can be delayed milestones, impaired reflex expression/integration, and asymmetry. Nat sees many clients virtually, teaching parents how to use play and movement to help their child thrive. Working together with an IBCLC and OT isn't always necessary but when there are issues needing more support, the results are astounding.

Podcast Guest: Nat (Natalie Udwin) is an infant development, airway and reflexive feeding specialist AKA pediatric OT. On IG, most people know them as "Nat The Baby OT". Nat's home base is in Atlanta, GA but they also work virtually with families all over the world. Nat has a B.A. in Studio Art from Whitman College, an M.S. in OT from Milligan College and has been an OT for 12 years. They have specialized in infant development for 7 years now. Nat has a 4 year old son named Ari and enjoys anything in or on water, hiking, traveling, abstract painting and drawing and is definitely happiest outdoors.

Sometime around 2015, Nat's eyes were opened to the world of reflex integration, which completely transformed their practice. Finally, Nat was seeing skills were sticking and carrying over to other aspects of daily life that just weren't happening before for their patients. It was the "foundational" approach to therapy that Nat had been trying to figure out for years. After a couple of years of learning to integrate or inhibit retained reflexes, Nat began to ask WHY. Why were all of these kids retaining these reflexes from infancy into childhood? What was happening developmentally to change their trajectory? Nat needed to know.

So . . . Nat dove headfirst into infant development courses. They quickly learned about the importance of human connection and emotional regulation in early infancy, as well as the developmental importance of strong breathing and oral motor skills to support a lifetime of healthy growth. It was now all starting to make sense. The next step was to start working with infants, and to put all of this new knowledge to the test. Nat, alongside some incredible mentors and colleagues, has spent the past 7 years mastering their understanding of infant development to not only become an infant development specialist, but to create what is now the foundation of a holistic airway focused practice for children of all ages.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine. While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs. Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply. Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email katie@cuddlesandmilk.com or www.cuddlesandmilk.com

Tongue tie is not a US phenomenon. Tongue ties have been known about and treated for hundreds of years, but in the last decade the field has dramatically expanded. Part of that is more recognition, part is epigenetic changes causing more tongue ties, more vaulted palates, more narrow jaws than ever before.

In this episdoe Katie Oshita and Dr Shereen Lim discuss tongue tie climates both in the US and in Australia where Dr Lim practices in Perth, in Western Australia. Dr Lim promarily sees infants, though does work with tied humans of all ages. Both Katie and Dr Lim are passionate aobut educating parents and providers alike for things can can both positively and negatively effect oral development such as pacifiers, solid foods and chewing, and nasal breathing. Listen here for more about the collaborative team approach across the globe.

Podcast Guest: Dr Shereen Lim is a Perth based dentist with a post graduate diploma in dental sleep medicine from the University of Western Australia. She has been involved in the team management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea since 2011. Dr Lim is dedicated to promoting airway health from infancy as an alternative approach to minimize the development of these problems, and is author of the book “Breathe, Sleep, Thrive: Discover How Airway Health Can Unlock Your Child’s Greater Health, Learning and Potential.” Her work in private practice is restricted to tongue tie management from infancy to adulthood, early interceptive orthodontics and myofunctional therapy.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine. While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs. Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply. Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email katie@cuddlesandmilk.com or www.cuddlesandmilk.com

Most families in the US do some form of combination feeding, using bottles and frequently breast pumps. The sheer volume of new pumps, bottles, and other feeding supplies is enough to overwhelm most IBCLC's. To stay current on new equipment means either many hours researching, or taking a course from someone who did all the research and work already. Jeanette Mesite Frem is known in the world of lactation to be that person. Jeanette has spent years specializing in all things pumping and bottle feeding, has nearly every breast pump and bottle, and can explain all the pros and cons of each! Listen as Katie Oshita and Jeanette Mesite Frem discuss Jeanett'es deep dive into pumping, her soon-to-be-released study on flange fitting, and what the FITS acronym means in the lactation world.

Podcast guest: Jeanette Mesite Frem, MHS, IBCLC, RLC, CCE is an experienced childbirth educator, IBCLC-lactation consultant and retired birth doula. She started her career working with families while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa in the early 90s. She loved that work so much she went on to receive a public health masters degree from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, focusing her studies on nutrition for maternal and child health. Her two children were breastfed for more than 2 years each and Jeanette has experience pumping at work for both children and has supported thousands of families with feeding and pumping over the last 20 years.

Jeanette provides prenatal childbirth and breastfeeding classes at her office in Northborough, Massachusetts, as well as providing virtual and office feeding consultations. She also enjoys leading workshops and speaking at conferences for lactation and perinatal health professionals and mentoring those who work with families. If you have questions, feel free to email jeanette@babiesincommon.com.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 22 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine. Katie is a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs. Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply. Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email katie@cuddlesandmilk.com or www.cuddlesandmilk.com