Kayla has completed many hours of post graduate training in the areas of pediatric feeding disorders and pediatric dysphagia. She has a speical interest in treating suspected Childhood Apraxia of Speech in minimally verbal children and motor speech and feeding disorders associated with Down Syndrome. She has completed Beckman Oral Motor training, several courses form Talk Tools, and is a Hanen certified Speech Language Pathologist. In 2018 she became a Certified Lactation Counselor in order to better serve breastfeeding dyads in her practice. She is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of infants with tethered oral tissues including lip ties, tongue ties, and buccal ties.
"Be messy
and complicated
and afraid
and show up anyways"
I will never forget how I felt when I struggled to feed my baby. (loneliness, fear, lack of control). My goal is to validate, support and empower parents.
My artsy side and my science-y side are in a constant battle! I LOVE photography- Many of the images on this website and my socials are my own work.
coffee
yoga
minimalism
shopping
evelyn + audrey
After graduation, Nicole went on to specialize in feeding and swallowing disorders. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and has been practicing Craniosacral Therapy for the past 5 years. She is on track for certification with IAOM as a Certified Orofacial Myologist.
Nicole offers educational opportunities for other healthcare providers including Therapists, Physicians, Dentists, and Chiropractors.
Nicole's WHY:
"My own significant struggles to feed my children and not having the support we needed...but grit got me through and we all succeeded for so many years! All 4 of my kids have a mix of ties and oral dysfunciton that led to mild-severe feeding difficulties at breast. From traumatic births and NICU stays, to oral ties, tube feedings, supplementing and hormonal low supply. You name it, we did it to succeed! I never want anyone to experience lack of support to meet your personal feeding and function goals! I have dedicated my life and career to staying on top of my skills to support families. I have build a collaborative team to work with to meet your goals no matter what they are!"
"Grow through what you go through."
Jodie is a speech-language pathologist and certified lactation counselor who specializes in pediatric feeding and communication disorders. She focuses on functional feeding in relation to breastfeeding dyads, optimal breast and bottle feeding, successful transition to solids, and “picky” eating. She integrates orofacial myology and sensory-motor function into her therapy so that airway, sleep, and nervous system function are addressed as well as traditional speech and feeding. Her passion for a whole-person approach led her to become a certified Tummy Time Method practitioner and trained in the Gillespie Approach for cranio-sacral fascial therapy. Jodie’s goal is to support and empower families through education and collaboration to help facilitate the developmental needs of their child.
"Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the
right people there to support you."
Rachel is a Certified Lactation Counselor, providing families with in-home lactation support. She received her certification in 2018 through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice and has been doing home visits in private practice ever since. Her fascination with breastfeeding began with the birth of her first child in 2015. After hearing so much conflicting advice, she set out to educate herself as much as she could. She leaned heavily on lactation professionals throughout both of her breastfeeding journeys and quickly noticed a growing passion. The more she learned, the more she wanted to share this knowledge and support other families through their infant feeding journeys. Rachel promises to provide families with a judgment-free, safe space to share their hopes, feelings, and concerns about breastfeeding/chestfeeding. She’s passionate about supporting and counseling her clients to reach *their own* personal infant feeding goals, whatever they may be. Rachel has completed TOTS (tethered oral tissues) training, and is currently pursuing certification as an International Board Certified Lactation Counselor.
“No one is you, and that is your power.”
- Dave Grohl
I'm Theresa, a Registered Dietitian and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I have birthed and breastfed 2 beautiful babies and have been providing nutrition and lactation support to families for over 9 years. I am passionate about educating and supporting families, communities, and professionals about the importance of breastfeeding and nutrition and look forward to helping many families meet their feeding goals. I am a lifelong learner and have completed 100s of hours of postgraduate training to enhance my knowledge to be better able to serve the clients I work with.
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Gina received her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2013. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings including outpatient, school, and in home early intervention services which has given her a well-rounded style of treatment.
Her passion is working with infants and their families, and she is often in a family’s home days or weeks after delivery. She has a holistic approach of looking at the whole child and she understands how infant feeding, sleeping, and motor skills all closely interact with each other. She is trained in the Gillespie Approach for cranio-sacral fascial therapy and has taken 100s of hours of post-graduate education in areas of interest such as primitive reflex work, polyvagal theory, infant sleep, babywearing, and more.
My story:
I’m a wife and mother to my school aged son who was born prematurely and with a minor spinal cord impairment. For the first 3 years, my son needed a variety of therapies and treatments including lactation, physical, feeding, speech, occupational, and emotional counseling. Every single one of those professionals was critical to not only my son’s development, but to my development as a mother as well. Going through that experience has given me a full understanding of how the whole family and their environment needs to be considered in addition to treating the whole child. My passion is giving families the tools and education they need to be confident when raising their little ones
Jenna is mom of three who is married to her high school sweetheart. She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she obtained her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She taught kindergarten for four years before leaving the teaching field to stay home with her children.
Jenna is passionate about education and support surrounding oral functioning after experiencing a lack of support in her own feeding journey with one of her children. She is thrilled to be part of the Abeille Speech and Feeding team who makes it a priority that parents are a crucial piece of every child’s feeding journey and they receive the resources and education necessary to support their child in the best way possible.
"Speak to children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become"