Breastfeeding
Having Trouble With Breastfeeding?
At Katy Speech and Language, our goal is to support you in creating a positive, successful experience for both you and your baby. If feeding isn’t going as expected, a lactation counselor can provide expert guidance, answer your questions, and offer evidence-based solutions to common challenges. With the right support, you can find an approach to breastfeeding that works best for your family.
Signs You May Benefit From Lactation Support:
Your baby is fussy and doesn’t seem satisfied after feedings
Feedings regularly last longer than 30–45 minutes
Slow or inadequate weight gain
Coughing or gagging during feeds
Very frequent feeding (more than 12 times in 24 hours)
Fewer than 8 feedings in a 24-hour period
Breastfeeding Evaluations
During a breastfeeding evaluation, our experienced lactation counselors assess both parent and baby to better understand the full picture.
We carefully evaluate your baby from head to toe, identifying any factors that may be affecting feeding. From there, we create a tailored care plan designed to support a healthy, effective feeding relationship.
Every parent and baby deserve individualized care, and we’re here to guide and support you at every step.
Bottle Feeding & Introduction To Solids
At Katy Speech and Language, we understand that feeding your child can come with questions, stress, and uncertainty. With so much information available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Our experienced feeding specialists are here to support you every step of the way. We work with infants and toddlers to help families build confidence and create positive, successful feeding experiences.
Bottle Feeding
Feeding your baby should be a meaningful and enjoyable bonding experience. However, for some infants, feeding does not come as naturally as expected. At Katy Speech and Language, our team takes a comprehensive approach to identify and address feeding challenges.
We evaluate your child’s oral motor skills, positioning, feeding schedule, and any underlying medical factors that may be impacting feeding. From there, we collaborate with you—and, when appropriate, your child’s medical team—to develop an individualized, evidence-based plan of care.
Feeding therapy may be beneficial if your baby demonstrates any of the following:
- Gagging or choking during feeds
- Coughing while eating
- Milk leaking from the mouth
- Bottle refusal
- Clicking sounds during feeding
- Difficulty completing a feeding within 30 minutes
- Falling asleep during feeds or only feeding while asleep
- Poor weight gain or weight loss
- Fussiness or discomfort during feeding
- Breathing difficulties while eating
- Mealtimes that are consistently stressful or negative
Introduction to Solids
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing complementary solid foods around 6 months of age. While this stage can be exciting, it may also present challenges for some children.
At Katy Speech and Language, our feeding therapists support families through this transition by assessing oral motor development, feeding history, motor skills, family mealtime dynamics, and any medical considerations. We partner with you to create a plan that promotes safe, enjoyable, and successful mealtimes.
Signs Your Child Is Ready for Solids
- Around 6 months of age
- Able to sit with minimal support
- Shows interest in foods others are eating
- Decreased tongue-thrust reflex
When Feeding Therapy May Help (9 Months and Older)
Feeding therapy may be beneficial if your child:
- Refuses solid foods or purees
- Eats only purees and has not progressed to textured foods
- Gags, chokes, or vomits with purees or solids
- Pushes most food out of the mouth with the tongue
- Has difficulty chewing or managing dissolvable solids (e.g., puffs)
- Frequently tilts or extends the head backward when swallowing
- Demonstrates poor growth or weight loss
- Cries or arches the back during meals
- Experiences consistently stressful or negative mealtimes
- Has not developed readiness skills for solids