Infant Feeding & Suck Retraining Therapy
Expert Nursing Support for Bottle Refusal, and Latch Difficulties in Mequon
Is Feeding Harder Than It Should Be?
Feeding your baby should be a time of peaceful bonding, not stress and tears. If you are experiencing pain, or your baby is struggling to eat efficiently, our medical-based suck retraining can help.
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Recognizing the Signs of Infant Feeding Dysfunction
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Many mothers are told that nursing naturally hurts at first, or that their baby is simply a "slow eater." However, when the physical mechanics of your baby’s mouth aren't working correctly, feeding becomes an exhausting marathon.
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Watch for these signs of infant feeding dysfunction:
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🚩 A Baby Clicking While Nursing: Hearing a "clicking" or smacking noise means your baby is constantly losing suction and breaking the seal.
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🚩 Marathon Feeds: Bottle or breastfeeding sessions that consistently exceed 30 minutes.
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🚩 Liquid Loss: Milk frequently leaking or spilling out of the baby's mouth.
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🚩 Fatigue & Poor Weight Gain: Your infant works so hard to eat that they fall asleep quickly, only to wake up hungry again shortly after.
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🚩 Distress: Gagging, choking, or coughing during breast and bottle feeds.
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The Connection Between the Latch, Reflux, and Feeding Aversions
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When an infant has a weak suck, low oral muscle tone, or restricted tissues, they cannot draw milk efficiently. To compensate, they often use their lips or gums to bear down, which directly causes maternal pain.
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Because the baby cannot maintain a proper, sustained vacuum seal, they end up swallowing excess air during every feed. This trapped air is a primary trigger for severe colic, gas, and the frustrating cycle of reflux and feeding aversions.
Rather than just relying on reflux medication or general lactation advice, our clinical goal is to treat the underlying oral motor dysfunction to physically fix the mechanics of the swallow.
Specialized Care for Tongue and Lip Ties
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A physical restriction under the tongue or lip is one of the most common causes of nursing failure. If your baby has been diagnosed with a tongue tie, targeted oral therapy is a critical component of their care plan.
Because a tied tongue has been restricted since development in the womb, it has limited mobility. This means your baby hasn't learned how to naturally elevate the tongue or cup it properly to extract milk.
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How Infant Suck Retraining Works
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Led by our early intervention feeding specialist, Kim Harrison, our program is designed to build your baby's feeding skills through a holistic, neuromuscular approach.
We utilize suck retraining, which involves specialized finger-feeding exercises and targeted oral stimulation to teach the tongue how to move correctly. We also focus heavily on rhythmic regulation.
Eating is a complex neurological task, and we help your baby master the coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing so they don't choke, gag, or gulp air. Finally, we work closely with you to find the optimal feeding positions, flow rates, and tools that accommodate your infant's unique anatomy and needs.
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Make Feeding Comfortable Again
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You don't have to just tough it out. If you are dreading the next feeding time, or worried about your baby's weight gain, get the specialized medical support you both deserve.
​​​​​​​​​Comprehensive Care for Speech, Feeding, and Learning—All Under One Roof.
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You shouldn't have to drive across Wisconsin to piece together your child's developmental care. At Mequon Speech & Learning Connection, we treat the whole child. We know that the oral muscles used for safe feeding are the exact same muscles required for clear speech, and that early language processing directly impacts future classroom success.
By bringing Speech-Language therapy, Pediatric Feeding Therapy, Orofacial Myology, and Learning Support into one collaborative clinic, our medical-based team connects the dots that isolated providers often miss.
From infant suck retraining and tongue tie rehabilitation to toddler food aversions, articulation delays, and executive functioning coaching, we provide a seamless, integrated therapy plan customized to your family.
Stop managing a scattered calendar of appointments. Partner with Milwaukee’s leading clinical team for a unified approach to your child's development.
Contact our team of licensed specialists today to schedule your consultation:
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Email: office@mequonspeech.com