Women’s health extends past the pelvis with our physiotherapist certified to assess and manage lactation conditions of the breast and the infant. Maternal factors of these conditions include managing and understanding mechanical and chemical causes of inflammation, maintaining skin integrity and facilitating repair, and decreasing pain using a biopsychosocial approach. Common breast conditions currently treated are mastitis, blocked ducts, breast inflammation, and nipple trauma. The goals with treatment are to restore the optimal function of the breast; lactation. Mechanical dysfunction with the infant’s neck and jaw can directly impact success with feeding. Common infant conditions seen by our physiotherapist include torticollis (head turning preference), plagiocephaly (flat head), tongue-tie, lip-tie, tight jaw muscles causing latch dysfunction, and uncoordinated suck. In addition to individualized conditions between mother and baby, latch and positional issues are assessed and assisted.

Description text goes hereYou will be welcomed into your initial assessment by a comfortable chair and baby friendly environment. The assessment will be 75 minutes in length, and will be flexible depending on feeding schedules. Throughout this time, our physiotherapist will take a comprehensive history of your concerns and learn more about your pregnancy including labour and delivery. Physical examination of mother and infant will include observation of a feed, seated and lying palpation, along with intra-oral assessment of infant’s jaw and sucking mechanics. Equipment fitting such as a pump or bottle will be discussed depending on the mother's goals with feeding.

We understand that the first few days postpartum can be overwhelming and we want to take the additional stress of travelling from you. We offer home-visits for local patients in East Hants for an additional fee, with the allotted time slot of 2 hours depending on travel time. Home visits are still able to be billed through insurance policies and are scheduled as needed. We do not offer home visits to be scheduled online and recommend that you call the clinic in order to set up a time. A living room or bedroom with an area for you to lay down is recommended to be the designated treatment area. Our physiotherapist will bring any required equipment for the assessment to you, so no extra set-up is required.