Back on Breast: Speech Therapy Can Help
I wanted to breastfeed my baby, but we’ve had so many issues, we just decided to stop. And I cry about it sometimes.
Speech-language pathologists address all kinds of issues pertaining to - you guessed it - speech. Less known is our involvement in supporting the social aspects of communication as well as the daily, ever-important task of swallowing.
Reflexes guide many of our first days in the world. The reflexive sucking and swallowing patterns of a newborn are our starting point for developing voluntary chewing/swallowing, proper speech production, and generalized communication in later years.
If you and your baby are struggling to breastfeed, first of all, you are not alone. According to the CDC, 60% of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they intend to, due to all kinds of reasons. Breastfeeding is natural and a good, good thing, but it’s certainly not always easy.
We see this in our office, often.
My baby had such bad reflux, we had to stop breastfeeding earlier than I wanted. I wish we could get back on breast.
My baby takes a really long time to eat, and I’m not even sure how much she’s getting out of it. The pediatrician says she’s not gaining enough weight.
A lactation consultant could be a great start for getting helpful breastfeeding tips and immediate feedback of how much baby is swallowing during a feed. Their expertise is crucial for early breastfeeding support, for new and experienced mommas alike.
If you still aren’t seeing the results you want with the help you’ve enlisted so far, it’s not the end of the rope - try speech therapy at GO!.
Within just 2-week’s time, patients at our clinic have gone from exclusive bottle feeding to being back on breast! These are some happy mommas and babies.
We would never promise to get someone’s baby back on breast, but!, we will try our darndest, and IT HAS BEEN DONE. There is hope.
To pursue a swallow evaluation with GO!’s speech therapists, request a referral from your child’s pediatrician. Reach out to our office by completing an inquiry form.
