Therapy Specialist Network

06/30/2025

Babies are amazing little communicators from birth! From those early oral reflexes like rooting..to eye contact and nuzzling in for a feed…your baby is talking to you and building the foundational skills for language development!

Be present and curious with a focus on connection and building attachment:)

Watch their eyes and face: eye contact, blinking, and looking away can all be messages. Looking at you may show interest or connection while turning away or furrowing brows may signal overstimulation or a need for a break.

Listen to their sounds: babies grunt, snort, coo and cry with soft sighs and coos showing contentment and crying, gulping, or clicking showing discomfort, air intake, or latch issues.

Notice their body movements: hands, arms, and legs can tell you a lot! Relaxed hands and limbs show comfort and tolerance of flow rate. Tense or flailing may indicate frustration or the need to adjust position or flow rate.

Pause for responses: pause during feeding and wait for their cues. Thai will support back and forth (reciprocal) interactions and build trust.

Respond calmly and consistently: Your responsiveness helps them feel safe. Talk softly, adjust the pace, or reposition if baby seems stressed. They will learn that their signals matter which boosts emotional security and helps them maintain parasympathetic state.

Use skin-to-skin and close contact: a huge stimulator for enhancing bonding and supporting your ability to read their subtle cues while calming your baby’s nervous system and increasing oxytocin for both of you!

And most importantly…TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!!! You’ve got this mama! You know your baby best - even when you are still learning their language. Each baby communicates in unique ways so keep being present and curious and observe the beauty of the process:)

Still feel like you need support understanding your baby’s cues? I’m happy to help:)

05/27/2025

If your little is struggling with feeding it can feel beyond overwhelming! Cue all the stress and anxiety around mealtimes… 😫

I’ve spent the last 18 years of my 21 years as a speech-pathologist focusing on infant and toddler feeding with a healthy dose of Myofunctional therapy for kiddos over 4 years old…and I can tell you not every strategy for feeding therapy works ALL the time and it takes a beautiful balance of layering in compassion, connection, confidence building, and exploration to find the right fit! 🩰💃

Approaching therapy with an understanding that every child is as unique as their fingerprint while leaning into evidence based interventions is key. 🔑

These are some of my favorite approaches to incorporate in sessions with toddlers and older kiddos too…

Reducing mealtime stress, improving connection with food, building confidence with new textures and flavors, calming the nervous system, and prioritizing your child’s emotional safety and long-term success are just a few of the focus areas…

Plus a sprinkle of fun, a dash of joy, and a hefty helping of patience are always at the table too! 🍽️

It takes a village and I am happy to help connect you with a qualified therapist in your area if you feel you need support on this feeding journey with your little:) 💬

Xoxo-
Amanda

05/11/2025

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas I get to walk this journey of motherhood with! So grateful to be surrounded and inspired by strong, resilient, confident, and brilliant leaders of these children we are raising as a village:).

Just remember that even when it feels tough and draining that your mama gut always knows best and I’m beyond blessed to learn from each mama I meet! 🤗❤️🌷

04/07/2025

It’s Spring Break week for me! 🙌🏝️☀️

I’ll be using this week to recharge…lots of family time, fun with friends, and all the sunshine, sand, and ocean waves FTW!

03/12/2025

Here’s your cue to get some morning and afternoon natural sunlight to support your sleep! Acting as a zeitgeber to support your body’s circadian rhythms with the 24 hour light/dark cycles, getting even 10 minutes will boost your (and your baby’s) sleep! ☀️

02/14/2025

📣Excited to add Certified Holistic Sleep Coach to my title!!!

⏳So many hours poured into this process for more than a year…and now I’m beyond thrilled to support families with more knowledge and strategies for SLEEP!

🍼🤱🏻🥱The intimate connection between feeding and sleep brought me to this space and it’s been such a wonderful addition to my work with littles and their families already…and I’m just getting started:)

🙏🏼 Thank you to the families who volunteered to be my case studies for the certification process! Forever grateful!!! 💗

01/10/2025

It was a good week despite shuffling appointments based on road conditions and snow expectations! ❄️

Wrapping up some notes while I wait for the next round of snow to fall…

Celebrating a few babes that graduated who are meeting all those milestones for breast feeding, bottle feeding, and transition to solids! 🙌

Cheering on others who are making gains (literally and figuratively)…breathing better, consistently getting a nice deep latch with increased transfer, better at managing foods without coughing or choking, chewing with their lips closed, making new sounds and words, learning gesture and signs…all the things!

And looking forward to some travel for continuing education…some I get to be the student and some I get to teach! But honestly I learn from all of them! 📚 💻

Happy Friday!

💛 Amanda

01/06/2025

💫New Year…New Space!

👋Say hi to our new office located at 160 Moore Drive Suite 202!

Excited to welcome all our families here…just a few more bits of organizing and hanging pictures but otherwise all set for patients!

❄️ This winter weather had other plans so we are closed today and tomorrow! We will be watching road conditions to make decisions for Wednesday:)

💛In happiness & health so you can thrive—
Amanda

07/01/2024

Thankful to have the expertise of Lactation Care with Elizabeth to collaborate with! ❤️ Have you been to The Milk Party? 🥛 👶

They’re our neighbors! We have collaborated with Therapy Specialist Network (formerly The Speech Network) over the years with meeting space, on client care, and Amanda Chastain gives expert feeding specialist care at monthly Milk Party (July 17th). Thanks for the referrals!

03/14/2024

Here are my top 10 reasons to help your baby master nasal breathing! So many reasons and so much research to support nasal breathing as a key to health, development, and wellness across the lifespan…it’s a no brainer!

1. Optimal oxygenation
2. Improved lung development
3. Enhanced brain development
4. Nasal nitric oxide production
5. Temperature and humidity regulation
6. Prevention of mouth breathing issues
7. Prevention of snoring and sleep apnea
8. Improved facial and dental development
9. Reduced risk of infections
10. Promotion of relaxation

So go with your gut! If you have concerns about your baby’s breathing patterns talk to your pediatrician and find a support system to help:).

This is one of my passion point in my work with babies…early intervention and preventative care!

Need help finding a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, or lactation consultant who is knowledgeable in infant breathing? Reach out…I’ll do my best to connect you to someone close to you.

03/14/2024

According to The National Sleep Foundation “people with good sleep have 20 minutes or less of wakefulness during the night.” They also note that your sleep efficiency is based on total time you actually SLEEP while you are in bed.

Calculate it!
Sleep duration=total time in bed-minutes it took you to fall asleep-minutes awake in the night.

Sleep duration/total time in bed x 100 = sleep efficiency percentage.

03/14/2024

It’s Sleep Awareness Week®! We applaud the National Sleep Foundation’s dedication to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Learn how to be your Best Slept Self®: https://www. thensf.org/sleep-awareness-week.