Episode 61: Feeding Therapy, Taking the Battle Out of Mealtime ft. Laurie Layne

Feeding your NICU baby can often be a challenge. April is Occupational Therapy month and pediatric OT Laurie Layne and I focus on how feeding therapy can be utilized and some of the challenges NICU parents may face.

In this episode, we chat about:

For pediatrics, what exactly does an occupational therapist do and how does it differ from other pediatric therapies?

When should a parent seek out occupational/feeding therapy?

What are some things parents should look for in an occupational/feeding therapist?

If you have a sensory seeker who has heavy oral input (puts everything in their mouth), what can you do?

What's the most common feeding challenge with NICU babies/premature infants?

How does a g-tube affect feeding therapy?

Food texture and food aversion sometimes feels overwhelming, how can a parent combat the fear of feeling like it's never getting better?

Laurie Layne, OTR, received her B.S. in community health from Texas A&M University and her master of occupational therapy degree from Texas Woman’s University-Houston.  She has 25 years of experience in working with pediatric populations in early intervention, school-based services, and private outpatient clinics.  Laurie treats a varied caseload, including children with feeding aversions, sensory processing disorder, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorders, neuromuscular dysfunction, and genetic disorders. She is trained in various feeding methodologies and is Handwriting Without Tears Level 1 certified.  Laurie is the proud mom of three college kids and she enjoys traveling, reading, and playing pickleball.

Links to products:

https://chewytubes.com/products/ps-and-qs/

https://talktools.com/collections/chews-chewy-tubes

The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.

Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.

Connect with Hand to Hold:

Learn more or get support at handtohold.org

Follow Hand to Hold on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/  

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold   

The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles

Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life

License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license