Frequently Asked Questions

A woman in an orange outfit playing with a baby on the beach, lifting the baby into the air with the ocean and cloudy sky in the background.

  • You can receive occupational therapy services in many different settings, including hospitals, rehabs, outpatient clinics, and in your own home; and each setting has its own focus area. The main goal of occupational therapy, in any setting, is to enhance participation in your activities of daily living (ADLs). These activities are a part of your everyday routine, such as eating, dressing, and bathing. My focus at Nest & Nurture OT is to optimize the relationship between both the parent and baby by: modifying the environment to best fit the pair’s unique needs; creating specific goals, habits, and routines to help reach motor and feeding milestones; using the 7 senses (touch, hearing, smell, taste, vision, vestibular, and proprioceptive) to facilitate progress with tummy time/floor time; addressing challenges with common pediatric conditions (such as plagiocephaly, torticollis, and tongue ties) by implementing home exercise programs/stretches and other methods of decreasing pain and developmental delays; and providing emotional support to parents as they settle into the “4th trimester” and navigate their new role as caregivers.

  • No, Nest & Nurture is a private LLC that accepts out-of-pocket payments. I can provide a superbill that you can submit for insurance by request.

  • I believe that a combination of my education, medical background, and personal experience as a new mother sets me apart from other therapists in this field. I have a true passion for helping parents and infants with reaching their goals, because I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel to navigate this journey alone. I promise to offer specialized, holistic, family-centered, and non-judgmental care for each family that I work with.

    • During tummy time: if your baby doesn’t lift their head by ~2 months, cries/is in visual distress anytime they are on their stomach, has excessive stiffness or floppiness, cannot prop up onto their elbows by ~3-4 months, only turns their head to one side, and/or has significant flat spots on the back/sides of the head (plagiocephaly).

    • If your baby is unable to roll over or push up onto their hands by ~5-6 months. 

    • If your baby doesn’t have an interest in toys (example: doesn’t reach or visually track a moving toy in front of them) by ~4 months

    • If your baby is unable to sit unsupported by ~7 months

    • If your baby is unable to pull to stand or crawl by ~11-12 months

    • If your baby has difficulty with fine motor tasks such as using a pincer grasp to bring objects to their mouth by ~12 months

    • If your baby has an extreme over- or under-reactivity to loud noises, specific textures, or being touched/picked up

    • Feeding Difficulties: If your baby has difficulty swallowing, frequently gags, has a strong aversion to specific foods, has excessive drooling, etc. 

    • If your baby has a specific head tilt preference and you are noticing some muscle shortening or tightness in the neck on one side (torticollis)

    • Common Breastfeeding Concerns: If you are experiencing pain or discomfort while breastfeeding, if your baby is fussy at the breast, if your baby cannot latch onto the breast during nursing sessions, if you are having a hard time expressing milk (either by nursing or pumping), if you are concerned about your baby’s nutritional intake (like if they are falling asleep at the breast or don’t appear satisfied after a long nursing session), etc. 

    • Parental Wellness: You often feel overwhelmed, your daily routine seems like it could use some structure, you and/or your baby are experiencing sleep difficulty, you are unsure of what to do with your baby during wake windows

  • We will first have a phone call or virtual screening, usually about 30 minutes, where I will ask basic questions about you, your baby, your home environment, your routines, and the daily challenges your family is currently facing. By the end of our phone call, we will get a clearer picture if you require OT services, or if your concerns only require a “quick fix.” I will provide strategies and tips for common issues, and if you feel that you need further assistance, we will schedule a time for the in-person, 60-minute  initial evaluation. In the evaluation, we will discuss your goals for therapy and decide on the frequency of your in-person or virtual 45-minute treatment sessions based on your goals and your family’s availability.

  • An OT can offer a holistic approach to postpartum health by helping new parents navigate the physical and emotional shifts of the "fourth trimester." An OT can provide ergonomic education to ensure safe body mechanics while lifting, carrying, and feeding a growing baby. Beyond the physical, OTs are uniquely trained to support maternal mental health by helping parents restructure their daily routines, manage sleep deprivation, and develop sustainable self-care habits that reduce the risk of burnout or anxiety.