START STRESS-FREE FEEDING

Specialized support for babies who struggle to feed
-- breast, bottle, or both.

take a deep breath, you're in the right place

FROM HAPPY PARENTS

"I’ve been dealing with for a few weeks and Jenna had my baby taking bottle in 5 minutes! So much anxiety relieved."

"Jenna was an incredible source of support as I navigated breastfeeding, especially with my premature baby. Her knowledge, patience, and encouragement helped me gain confidence."

"Jenna was an exceptional provider and a truly comforting presence during such a vulnerable time--—she is a gift to any new parent."

"She is kind, patient and very encouraging. I am a first time mom with many questions, Jenna has been there to support each one I have asked her without hesitation or making me feel terrible in any way."

Hey there!

I'm Jenna
OTR/L, IBCLC

I got into this work the hard way. Latching my son immediately after birth was excruciating, and I pushed through anyway. By six weeks he'd had a lip and tongue-tie release. When you know what's happening, you can do more about it.

TELL ME MORE

What sets me apart

body first, mouth second - I combine occupational therapy and lactation support to solve feeding challenges at the root, not just the latch.

Breastfeeding Support

Latch, positioning, milk transfer, tongue-tie assessment, therapeutic ultrasound for clogged ducts

Bottlefeeding Support

Flow, transitions, and babies who refuse the bottle

Infant Feeding Therapy

Reflux, oral aversion, feeding fatigue, suck-swallow-breathe coordination, guidance for premature and medically complex babies

You're in the right place if...

Feeding feels stressful, confusing, or painful

Latching, sucking, or swallowing seems off

Bottle refusal or trouble switching methods

Torticollis or body tension affecting feeds

You've tried other advice with no answers

Your baby isn't gaining well or tires out feeding

Clicking or air intake during feeds

Positioning challenges during feeding

Support needed before or after frenectomy

You just know something isn't right

Serving Yardley, Newtown, Langhorne, Morrisville, New Hope, Washington Crossing, and nearby NJ

book now

Body first, mouth second. We need core stability relaxed bodies and jaws in order to breathe well, let alone eat. Feeding is a whole body skill.

Tension is highly misunderstood and it can show up in a variety of ways and combinations.

A skilled provider is the next step if repositioning on your own isn’t fixing your issues.

#breastfeeding #motherhood #breastfeedingjourney #momlife #lactation

they’re saying they’re uncomfy. whether it’s reflux, gas, tension, flow rate issue, discombobulated suck pattern. they’re telling you something needs to change.

#archingbaby #refluxbaby #infantfeeding #newmom #lactationconsultant

Double whammy I’m an OT & an IBCLC! But, I love checking in with my pediatricians and my other OT and lactation friends for advice. Shout out
@babybasicsot @withinreach_ot @lactation_ot

#breastfeeding #newborncare #pediatricot #ibclc #babyhealth

TLDR: you do.

#newbornfeeding #fourthtrimester #newmomstruggles #colostrum #lactationconsultant

If your baby’s mouth is open when they’re asleep on their back, that’s something to look into. But DONT FREAK OUT. Social media can scare the poop out of you. It’s probably something to address but your baby will be FINE with a little support. #bodyworkforbabies #highpalate #shallowlatch #ibclc

Beyond proud to be able to add these very special letters behind my name. IBCLC.
A small seed was planted when I cradled my newborn son in 2020, while on a telehealth call with an IBCLC. At the time, telehealth was all I could receive. I was a hormonal mess in my first postpartum experience while being locked down with a itty bitty baby who sent metallic shockwaves of pain to my toes every time he fed (every 1.5 hrs). He was colicky with a tongue & a lip tie. We were falling apart.
My IBCLC gave me calm, steady, and stoic reassurance. Midway through our visit she said to me, “are you a lactation consultant?” I told her no, I’m an OT. She said, “You should be. I can tell by talking to you.”

That small seed in 2020 has led me here. 1 of 40,000 in the world with this specialization. 1 of a way smaller subset who is also an OT. You bet your bottom dollar I am PROUD.

I hope that I can be the calm, steady, and stoic presence in my patient’s lives, as she was for mine.

Jenna Papaioannou MS, OTR/L, IBCLC

Head turn preferences are really common. A lot of the times with natural movements, baby can work it out themselves. Other times, they can’t. And that tightness leads to muscle weakness on both sides. The muscle weakness can cause latch discomfort and lead you to thinking something is wrong on your end when that’s really not the case.

#Torticollis #headturnpreference

Some spit up is totally normal. The sphincter at the top of babies’s belly is immature and weak. It makes sense that liquid can sneak up there.

But often what gets called reflux is actually an air swallowing issue. Milk is coming back up because the system is overloaded with air.

Before you go down the road of asking for medication that likely will not help, especially if there is a mechanical issue, ask yourself:
-is the latch deep and stable?
-are feeds chaotic?
-is there body soft or tense?
-do you hear, clicking, gulping, squeaking?

Sometimes spit up is just spit up and sometimes the mechanics are just not right.

#Refluxbaby #babyspitup #newbornfeeding #breastfeeding

Most parents have never thought to call an OT for feeding. Most pediatricians don’t refer to us either.

They don’t know that we can actually specialize in this and it’s well within our scope. When a baby is struggling to feed, an occupational therapist can look at the whole body not just the latch.

Head control and neck mobility, shoulder and chest tension, jaw stability and oral mobility, tongue function under load and at rest, reflex integration, nervous system regulation.

Feeding is a whole body coordination task
If you’ve been told everything looks fine, but feeding still feels hard, there’s another lens to look through

#Occupationaltherapy #feedingtherapy #latch #tonguetiesupport

Triple feeding is HARD. It’s also just not feasible, especially for families who have more than 1 child.

I rarely recommend full triple feeds. I recommend bringing baby to the breast 3-5x/day and working up from there. (Along with pumping and bottle feeding, and bottle feeding the rest of the feeds)

It does no one any good to spend 20, 30, 45 minutes letting baby suckle on you when they’re not transferring any milk. It doesn’t increase your supply, it will tire baby out, and you’ll spend your whole day doing that rather than playing with your baby, engaging, and nervous system regulating!

3 things happening that are so important overnight ‼️
• prolactin (the hormone that tells your body to make milk) it peaks overnight and helps your body protect your long term supply
• your milk contains melatonin, the same hormone that is telling you that you wish you could keep sleeping 🥹, babies don’t reliably make their own melatonin for the first few months and your milk is helping them build their sleep rhythm
• their brain is just exploding with connecting neurons and developmental strides, this is the most intense period of brain development. Your child will ever go through. If they are waking overnight, not only are they asking for calories but they are asking for co regulation

If you’re seeing this at 3 AM, exhausted, you’re not behind. Your baby is normal. You are both doing exactly what you’re supposed to.

#newbornlife #fourthtrimester #breastfeedingsupport #nightfeeds #postpartumsupport

Sure, they may have a tongue tie but doesn’t it make so much sense that tight fists, elevated shoulders, low tongue, & a tense body affects the latch??

Shoulders up, tense jaw, fisted hands, low tongue posture. Sure they may also have a short frenulum but wouldn’t it make sense that all of these body tension patterns affect latch ability?

Tight jaw, low tongue posture, fisted hands, shoulders up to the ears. Sure, they also might have a tongue tie, but can you see how these other body tension patterns can affect the latch?

Shoulders up, jaw clenched, tight fists, crying in tummy time, low tongue.. sure they can also have a tongue tie but can you see how those body patterns can also affect latch?

So many hallelujahs. I get to work for myself. Make my own schedule. Set my own prices. Provide quality care. Get home to pick up my kids from day care. All of it.

Thank you to my own breastmilk and breastfeeding experience for pushing me toward this meaningful career.

Hallelujah to the many many joys I get to be a part of daily. I love this trend!

What is golden hour and what’s actually happening to mom & baby?

A baby in pain may not just be crying, they may be lethargic, uninterested in a bonding relationship, hard to soothe. And also very hard to breastfeed. It’s trial and error but things that can really help:
-tucking arms and legs into flexing
-sidelying feeds
-reclined feeds
-non nutritive sucking (pacifier or empty breast)
-gentle massage in low light low stim setting

Have you experienced a traumatic birth and also difficulty feeding? Comment below what helped you get through it, let’s help eachother!

Why is golden hour important? Did you know this or did someone just tell you to do it without explaining the beauty?

You bet your ass I’m zooming in on that poopy diaper

Most parents wait until they see it in movement but feeding is ALWAYS the first place it shows up. Sometimes it takes a keen eye to see it.

Are you experiencing:
-head turning 1 way
-clicking, leaking, popping off
-preference for one side and crying at the other

Let’s look at the body!

Well… you can do that (I guess) but why?

#motherhood #breastfeeding #lactation #infantfeeding

So much good happens from chest to chest time, tummy time on the floor, baby wearing. These things feel unrelated to feeds but they lay such important motor skills.

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@beehivepostnatal

Specialized support for babies who struggle to feed -- breast, bottle, or both.