Flourish Pediatric Therapy and Lactation LLC

11/13/2025

📣Announcing MORE resources for moms from Ciara, as part of her doctoral capstone project! Please consider reviewing or sharing.

Motherhood changes everything. But you don’t have to navigate it alone. Whether you’re healing from birth, managing overwhelm, or just trying to find balance, discover resources to support the postpartum journey.

https://jeannepichoff.podia.com/resources-for-postpartum-moms

✨ A space designed to support you through every stage of postpartum:
Daily logs for recovery
Simple postpartum plans for rest and nourishment
Perinatal mental health resources and support
Maternal health + OT support including strategies for movement, function, and healing
Partner support guides to help your loved ones understand and show up for you

💕Your opinion matters! Please Fill Out This Survey. 💕
https://qualtricsxmgtcc9krv2.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_86sLGZ6Gl1ekyns
Please consider taking this quick 5-minute feedback survey to share your opinion on the above resources.
Your feedback help will help to improve future resources for moms like you.

11/11/2025

📣Announcing a new resource created by Ciara LaVergne, doctoral OT student!📣

🌿Promoting Function and Occupational Balance: An OT-Centered Educational Intervention for Postpartum Mothers🌿

A FREE Educational Resource for Everyday Balance

Motherhood is a beautiful transformation but it can also feel overwhelming, isolating, and exhausting at times. This educational series provides a view of the postpartum experience through an occupational therapy lens.

Within This Series:
--See What Moms Have to Say on Postpartum and Motherhood:
Explore survey results revealing what postpartum moms say they need most for support, balance, and recovery.

--Learn About Occupational Balance:
Learn how to create harmony between self-care, family, rest, work, and meaningful daily activities.

--Discover Postpartum Strategies & Healing Techniques for Success

--Learn About Perinatal Mental Health Diagnoses
Discover the symptoms and identify resources for help.
Free Downloadable Lactation Education Resources

https://jeannepichoff.podia.com/promoting-function-and-occupational-balance-an-ot-centered-educational-intervention-for-postpartum-mothers

11/09/2025

Heads up, ByHeart families!

https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/outbreaks-investigations/infant-formula-nov-2025/index.html?fbclid=Iwb21leAN8xzljbGNrA3zGumV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHgFvCC_ICd0Rl_7jEb4G5u_P5FSNpVRO8pzjLJxrirhEQzW2I4hjDhfn9udq_aem_fwGGYcRzz95CQ3HeXyviMA

Details on an outbreak of infant botulism linked to infant formula, November 2025.

10/03/2025

Growth curves are not a grade! Babies can be healthy/thriving on both the 1st percentile and the 99th percentile and all the spaces in between. Big jumps across percentiles should trigger investigation especially if accompanied by feeding issues, developmental concerns, etc but growing steadily along one's own curve is a-okay.

I find that families of smaller babies are particularly vulnerable to feeling anxious about this or pressured to make their baby eat more. It can also REALLY escalate breastfeeding anxiety if not explained and taken in the context of the big picture.

09/28/2025

Chewing and managing purees are two completely different feeding skills and you can introduce both at the same time (usually at 6 months). No need to wait on your baby to be "good" at purees. And honestly, purees aren't every baby's jam.

09/26/2025

Conversation with a mother this morning, on a referral for weaning:

"My pediatrician told me I have one month to wean (her toddler) because he is having tonsils and adenoids out and I won't be able to nurse after surgery."

Back story is that this kiddo relies on nursing pretty heavily for a multitude of reasons, so I feel the need to issue a PSA about a few things.

a.) If you are nursing your toddler and you both wish to continue doing so, there is absolutely no reason you MUST wean due to a procedure like this. You can usually nurse directly shortly after a surgical procedure. Even if you can't, it does not mean you must wean for good if that isn't what you want and if it's not in the best interest of your kiddo....you can protect supply while working the rest out.
b.) Nursing can provide a valuable source of comfort + hydration/nutrition and prevent complications like dehydration during illness or post op. (Pictured is me, nursing my similarly aged son, during his hospital stay with Kawasaki disease....for 7 days prior to this admission, he would ONLY breastfeed. It kept us out of the hospital for much longer than we would have otherwise needed to be admitted, because he would not eat or drink otherwise.)
c.) To abruptly wean a toddler or infant if not medically necessary can cause undue distress on both mother and child. The advice to wean MUST be rooted in either the family's goals or because there is no other reasonable alternative.

The majority of my day as an OT/lactation consultant is spent dispelling myths and misinformation about breastfeeding. I feel so much stress for families inundated with misinformation.

Please, medical teams, take into account the individual circumstances of families when making breastfeeding recommendations!

09/22/2025

💐 Attention Postpartum Moms! 💐

I’m a Doctor of Occupational Therapy student at Hanover College, and I’m working on a project to create helpful, mom-friendly educational resources about postpartum recovery and finding balance in daily life.
I’m inviting postpartum mothers to participate in a short, 20-minute survey to share your thoughts.

- Must be 18+
- Voluntary & anonymous
- Safe, supportive, and mom-centered
- Make an impact on resources for other moms

If you're interested (or know someone who might be), click here: https://qualtricsxmgtcc9krv2.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3lp3v9d9PCSx9mS

Your voice matters—and your experience could help other moms feel more supported. Thank you for considering helping me help others!

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09/20/2025

09/20/2025

Healthcare is a tough gig. I wouldn't change a thing about my path, but sometimes the load is heavy.

Most of us care deeply about what we do, our patients, and their outcomes...and we are constantly thinking about how we can be better.

09/17/2025

It's catchy, but "food before 1 is just for fun" is a myth!

Yes, milk is primary nutrition for the first year.

But a lot of very important things happen in a critical time window for babies, and we don't want to miss out.

If you're having difficulty with your baby and solids, get help EARLY.

09/13/2025

Patient text this morning reminds me to issue the PSA that if you're wondering if your breastfed baby is reacting to a food you're eating, you don't have to eliminate that food for weeks on end...

This myth is persistent and makes the notion of elimination diets to manage food reactivity fairly impossible. "It takes weeks to eliminate dairy from your breastmilk" is not rooted in evidence.

Now elimination diets suck, don't get me wrong. But it's doable if you're looking for answers. Usually a 1 week trial gives some clarity.

For more info, see the .to.feed article here:
https://www.freetofeed.com/post/how-long-proteins-last-in-your-breastmilk

09/12/2025

PSA to anyone using a haaka frequently!