Services at WILD

are designed to specifically address the unique needs of the woman and infant to optimize their function, feeding, development, and achievement of independence with daily activities.

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Pelvic Floor Therapy | Occupational Therapy | Breastfeeding | Women’s Health | Lactation Support

What is Occupational Therapy?

An occupational therapist (OT) is educated and skilled in assessing how an individual’s daily occupations are impacted by illness, injury, medical complications, and/or life altering changes to the body, such as pregnancy. Daily occupations for prenatal and postpartum women may include working, driving, bathing, dressing, toileting, raising children, exercising, and sleeping, to name a few. Pregnant and postpartum women engage with their daily occupations differently given their changing, growing, and recovering bodies. An OT can assist in understanding pelvic floor function, improving general strength, preparing for pregnancy and birth, and helping you to feel empowered throughout your motherhood journey. For infants, daily occupations include demonstrating emergence and integration of age appropriate reflexes, achieving developmental milestones, eating (bottle, breast, or table food), sleeping, playing, engaging socially, self-regulating, and communicating their needs to their caregiver. Infants may have difficulty with their daily occupations as a result of complications during pregnancy and/or delivery, requiring care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), developmental delay, and/or congenital deficits. As a result of the life altering changes that occur, this is the perfect time frame for occupational therapy interventions to assist in optimizing the well-being of both the woman and infant.

Women’s Occupational Therapy Services

In Europe, the standard of care for postpartum women includes a referral to a pelvic floor specialist. While this is not the standard of care in the US, we truly believe it should be and we are striving to help bridge this gap and advocate for these services for all women.

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Featured
Pelvic Floor Therapy
Pelvic Floor Therapy

∘ Used to treat urinary frequency and incontinence, chronic pelvic pain, trauma, vulvar pain, painful bladder syndrome, painful sex, pelvic organ prolapse, general weakening of pelvic floor muscles, pubic symphysis disorder, diastisis rectus abdominis

∘ Pelvic floor issues may also appears as abdominal, low back, and hip pain, soreness, weakness

∘ Pelvic floor therapy incorporates a whole body physical assessment to include postural alignment, pelvic alignment, walking patterns, standing/sitting posture, muscular tone and strength in abdomen/hips/low back, external vaginal palpation, internal vaginal examination (when necessary)

∘ Involves a therapeutic treatment plan combining strengthening and stretching designed specifically for you to decrease the suboptimal muscular effects of pregnancy and birth

∘ Utilizes evidence based interventions to support you as you regain strength, confidence, and control over your body

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Infant Occupational Therapy Services

An infant’s brain doubles in size in the 1st year of life. By 3 years, the brain is almost 80% of its adult volume. Ensuring a child reaches optimal development requires early, consistent, and intentional interaction. Working with an occupational therapist can help to promote proper long term development!

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Featured
Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy
Neurodevelopmental Occupational Therapy

∘ Common diagnoses that are treated with occupational therapy include: developmental delay, generalized weakness, torticollis, delayed achievement of milestones, difficulty crawling/walking, decreased/increased tone, prematurity, neonatal stroke, brain hemorrhage, and so much more

∘ Designed to promote optimal neural connections for infants birth to 3 years of age to aid in laying the groundwork for long-term development

∘ Utilizes a standardized assessment (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales) to appropriately assess each infant’s level of function and create a treatment plan and goals that are specific and individualized for each infant’s needs

∘ Provides therapeutic interventions via a treatment plan created to assist with appropriate social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development and provide families with education on key activities to utilize in the home environment

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NICU Follow-up Occupational Therapy
NICU Follow-up Occupational Therapy

∘ Common diagnoses that are treated with occupational therapy include: developmental delay, generalized weakness, torticollis, delayed achievement of milestones, difficulty crawling/walking, decreased tone or strength, and so much more

∘ Designed to promote neural connections and pathways for infants 0-3 years of age to aid in laying the groundwork for future development

∘ Assesses an infant’s physical and cognitive level of function in comparison to peer normative values

∘ Utilizes a standardized assessment (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales) to appropriately assess each infant’s level of function and create a treatment plan and goals that are specific and individualized for each infant’s needs

∘ Determines any delay an infant might be demonstrating

∘ Provides therapeutic intervention via a treatment plan to assist with appropriate brain development and educating the family on key activities to continue in the home environment

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Bottle/Breastfeeding Occupational Therapy
Bottle/Breastfeeding Occupational Therapy

∘ Feeding issues might include: tethered oral tissues (tongue/lip ties), difficulty latching at the breast or bottle, decreased endurance and strength required to feed efficiently, structural and muscular asymmetries, and much more

∘ Assessment of oral motor tissues, muscular tone, suck/swallow/breathe synchrony, and sucking strength/coordination will be made before, during, and after a feeding session to determine any deficits that may be present

∘ Stretching, strengthening, and/or oral motor exercises designed to increase your infant’s success with bottle and/or breastfeeding will be provided on an individual basis

∘ Designed to help ease stress associated with feeding, improve age-appropriate weight gain, decrease the need for supplemental nursing systems or nipple shields, and decrease sore or painful nipples

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What is Lactation Consultation?

A certified lactation counselor (CLC) is a crucial member of your pregnancy and postpartum support team that provides education, management, and hands on support to families who are thinking about breastfeeding or who have questions or problems during the course of breastfeeding/lactation. CLCs are dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding in their work to prevent and solve breastfeeding problems. A CLC supports you in achieving your feeding goals to include feeding at the breast, with a bottle, or a combination.

Lactation Consultation Services

Breastfeeding is a learned experience for both mom and baby. While it is a natural process, it does not always come naturally. Our lactation services are designed to help you meet your breast and/or bottle feeding goals. Let our lactation counselor join you on your motherhood journey to find success and ease in feeding your baby.

Reasons you might work with a lactation counselor: painful latch, difficulty latching, use of a nipple shield, damaged nipples, over/under supply, recurrent clogged ducts or mastitis, returning to work, positioning, breast refusal, tongue/lip tie, and/or troubleshooting common issues.

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 Frequently Asked Questions

 

Do you take insurance?

We are no longer in-network with any insurance company. This was a very tough decision for our practice. Ultimately, we were facing many obstacles with insurance that was greatly impeding the quality of care we were able to provide to our clients. In order to remain an active and sustainable practice in the area we had to terminate our insurance contracts. Since we are no longer billing through insurance we have a greater amount of flexibility with the structure of our sessions, what we can treat, how long we can spend together, and how often we meet. We are hoping with this change we will actually be able to improve the care that our clients receive.

Do you have out-of-pocket prices?

As a result of our recent practice changes, all of our fees are now out-of-pocket. We did extensive market research to ensure that these prices were in-line with other out-of-pocket prices in this area. At the end of our session, we can provide you with a SuperBill which you can then submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Often insurance companies will reimburse you for a portion of or all of the treatment expenses. We also offer reduced rates for Medicare/Medicaid card holders to ensure that we remain accessible to all members of the community.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can use the link under the “scheduling” tab to schedule an appointment through our online calendar. Search for available days/times for different types of therapy. You can also, call and/or text our office phone line to set up an appointment.

How do I know if you can treat my symptoms?

Sometimes it is hard to know if we are the right fit for you and/or your child and the symptoms that you might be experiencing. For that reason, we offer a free 15-minute discovery phone call to determine if we can help with your individual needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out! Also, check out our “services” page to learn more about what we offer and how we might be able to serve you.

When should I consider pelvic floor therapy?

Pelvic floor therapy can be immensely beneficial before, during, and after pregnancy. There are many physical concerns that can necessitate pelvic floor therapy such as painful sex, painful insertion of tampons, urinary/fecal leakage, etc. that someone might experience even before they have ever had a baby. Then, pregnancy and postpartum can potentially exacerbate these issues and/or make new issues arise. It is never too early or too late to seek help from an educated, skilled, and compassionate pelvic floor therapist!

You work with both moms and babies?

Yes! Our model of practice encompasses both the woman and her child. We see the two as inseparable. When we are working with either the woman or her child we are simultaneously working to help the other. Our therapist was initially trained with premature infants and has since gone on to gain more training and education to support the woman as well. Our therapist was initially trained with premature infants and has since gone on to gain additional training and education to support the woman as well in an attempt to provide well-rounded, holistic services.

I have worked with a lactation consultant, should I still come see an OT as well?

At WILD we truly value the expertise and knowledge of a lactation consultant. Our therapist is not here to take the place of a lactation consultant, but instead, to join your team. Our OT might be able to provide additional bodywork knowledge for you and/or your infant, as well as oral motor strengthening activities that your little one might need to have successful feeds at the bottle and/or breast.