Transforming Lives Through Communication
The Nest Nurtured Beginnings Program
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The Nest Nurtured Beginnings Program provides gentle, whole-body support for infants and their families, focusing on feeding, breathing, and early development. We offer lactation and bottle-feeding support, oral motor development to strengthen and coordinate the tongue, lips, jaw, and swallowing skills, and careful monitoring of craniofacial growth and development. When we identify high or narrow palates, we provide supportive strategies and exercises to encourage healthy palate shape and growth, which can improve nasal airflow and breathing. Our airway-informed approach includes manual therapy and craniosacral therapy to help release tension patterns from birth that may impact feeding, comfort, and movement, along with tools such as MyoMunchee (as developmentally appropriate) and gentle oral motor activities. We also provide pre- and post–tongue tie release support to help babies learn to use their tongue and mouth more effectively for feeding and comfort. Throughout this process, we focus on helping the nervous system settle so babies can feed more easily, breathe more freely, and grow with greater comfort and ease.
Collaborative Infant Feeding & Structural Care
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Some babies need more than a standard feeding visit​
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Our collaborative sessions bring together two experienced providers to assess feeding function, oral motor patterns, structural alignment, and nervous system regulation — all in one unhurried, integrative visit.
We intentionally create a calm, supportive space where babies can feed at their own pace, settle when needed, and receive hands-on care without feeling rushed. Parents often comment on how different it feels to have time to breathe.
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During these sessions, we:
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Evaluate suck–swallow–breathe coordination in real time
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Assess tongue function, palate shape, and oral motor patterns
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Identify tension, asymmetry, or structural restrictions
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Support cranial nerve and airway function
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Provide gentle craniosacral therapy during the same visit
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Encourage mother–baby regulation and bonding
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Develop a clear, individualized care plan
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As feeding becomes more efficient and tension patterns resolve, many families notice shifts in overall regulation. Babies often settle more easily, require less constant holding for naps, and are able to rest more independently. While every baby is different, our goal is to support both function and connection — helping families feel calmer and more confident.
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Comprehensive Collaborative Evaluation
A dual-provider integrative assessment including feeding evaluation, structural assessment, hands-on treatment, and personalized recommendations.
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Collaborative Follow-Up
For babies who benefit from continued integrative care with both providers present.
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Feeding & Lactation
We provide gentle support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding to help babies feed more comfortably and efficiently. Our approach focuses on positioning, latch, coordination, and increased comfort & support for both baby and parent. We meet families where they are and support family feeding goals with compassion and practical guidance.
Oral Motor Development
We support the development of tongue, lip, jaw, and swallowing skills to build strong foundations for feeding and future communication. Gentle exercises and guided activities help improve coordination and endurance. This work supports comfort, efficiency, and long-term oral function.
Craniofacial Growth
We carefully monitor the growth and development of the cranium, jaws, and palate during infancy and early childhood. This helps us identify patterns that may impact feeding, breathing, and comfort, including high or narrow palates and jaw imbalances. When needed, we provide gentle strategies and exercises to support healthy facial growth and palate shape, which can positively influence airway development, feeding, and long-term oral function.
Airway & Breathing Foundations
At The Nest, we take a proactive, whole-body approach to supporting healthy airway development from infancy through adulthood. The shape and width of the palate, the position and strength of the tongue, the growth of the jaws, and the way the head and neck are held all play important roles in how easily air can move through the nose and upper airway. A high or narrow palate can reduce space in the nasal passages, making nasal breathing more difficult and encouraging compensations such as mouth breathing, shallow breathing, or inefficient sleep and feeding patterns. Through gentle craniosacral therapy, oral motor development, and airway-informed exercises, we help support balanced craniofacial growth, healthy oral posture, and more efficient nasal breathing. By addressing tension patterns in the body and supporting the structures that shape the airway, we aim to create the best possible foundations for breathing, sleep, feeding, and long-term health.
Tethered Oral Tissues
At The Nest, we take a thoughtful, whole-body approach to tongue and lip tie support. We recognize that physical tension in a baby’s body — including the jaw, neck, and face — can sometimes make a restriction appear more significant than it truly is. For example, jaw tension can limit how wide a baby opens their mouth, leading to a shallow latch and reduced feeding efficiency, even when a true restriction may be mild or functional. Floor of mouth tension can impact how well the posterior portion of the tongue elevates. We carefully assess both baby and family readiness for a release, including the baby’s ability to tolerate the procedure and stretches, as well as the parent’s capacity to support consistent aftercare. We prioritize pre-release bodywork, oral motor preparation, and parent education. We work closely with release providers to help them achieve a release that is based on true functional need. Just as importantly, we emphasize that neuromuscular re-education after a release is essential — helping the tongue and mouth learn new movement patterns so lasting improvement can occur. In our experience, the most successful outcomes happen when preparation, timing, and follow-through are all thoughtfully aligned for each baby and family.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy supports the body’s connective tissue system, known as fascia, which forms a continuous network throughout the body. Because fascia connects head to toe, tension or strain in one area — such as the hips, pelvis, or torso — can show up as compensatory tightness in the neck, shoulders, face, or jaw. In babies, this may appear as head-turning preferences, jaw tightness, uneven latch, or difficulty opening the mouth fully for feeding. Gentle craniosacral therapy and manual support help reduce these global tension patterns, allowing the body to organize more symmetrically and move with greater ease. When fascial strain is reduced, the head, palate, and jaws often have more freedom to grow and function in balanced ways, which can positively influence feeding, breathing, and overall comfort. By addressing the body as an integrated whole, we support not only local symptoms, but the underlying patterns that can affect long-term development.
Myomunchee
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The Myo Munchee is a small, flexible chewing device made of medical-grade silicone that supports healthy oral muscle tone and function by encouraging chewing, proper tongue posture, nasal breathing, and correct swallow patterns. Daily chewing exercises with the Munchee can help strengthen the lips, jaw, and face, potentially reducing habits like pacifier dependence and supporting better oral and facial development as children grow. The Myo Munchee Bebe is specifically designed for infants and focuses on early oral-motor development during the transition from sucking to chewing. Unlike other Munchee sizes, the Bebe isn’t sold directly to families online — it’s only available through certified practitioners to ensure safe, effective use tailored to each baby’s needs.
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As a certified Myo Munchee provider, I’m trained to assess your child’s oral development and guide you on the right use of the Myo Munchee products in my clinic. Certification through the Myo Munchee practitioner program means I’ve completed specialized training and am listed in their certified practitioner directory, which helps families find qualified professionals like me. I offer the Myo Munchee Bebe in my practice for babies around 4 months and up, along with guidance on how to use it safely and effectively to support your little one’s growth and oral-motor function.
Pacifier Usage
Pacifiers and oral soothing habits can be helpful for comfort in early infancy, but prolonged use, use of certain pacifier shapes, or habits such as finger or thumb sucking can influence how a baby’s mouth and airway develop. Extended sucking patterns can encourage a low, forward tongue resting posture and prolong an immature suckling pattern that is typically expected to fade before the first year of life. When this pattern continues, it may contribute to a high or narrow palate, changes in jaw growth, reduced nasal airway space, and delayed development of a mature swallow pattern. Over time, these patterns can also affect speech sound development and oral motor coordination. At The Nest, we gently guide families in choosing developmentally supportive pacifiers when needed and in supporting healthy transitions away from prolonged sucking habits, while prioritizing comfort, regulation, and each baby’s individual needs.
