Walk through sensory systems and key reflexes for infant feeding.

Guest: Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST

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Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, welcomes industry leader Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST, for a thoughtful and engaging conversation on infant reflexes and their role in early feeding development. Together, they explore how key reflexes contribute to early suck–swallow coordination, and how these patterns evolve as infants grow. Their conversation also highlights the role of interoception–the body’s internal sense that helps infants recognize hunger and fullness cues. They discuss torticollis and how neck muscle imbalance can impact positioning and latch, and close with a candid look at tethered oral tissues and their potential influence on feeding outcomes.

About the Guest: Michelle Emanuel, OTR/L, IBCLC, NBCR, CST, has been a Pediatric Occupational Therapist for 30 years and specializes in working with newborns to pre-crawling infants. She is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and IBCLC, who is also certified in yoga and several forms of manual therapy. Michelle is passionate about infant neurodevelopment, feeding, the sensory nervous system, and social engagement.

Show Notes:

• Contact Michelle Emanuel: @tonguetiebabies and @tummytimemethod on Instagram or on LinkedIn
• Hazelbaker Lactation Institute
• American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Consensus Statement: Ankyloglossia in Children
• Georgia Malandraki Publications
• Tummy Time Method
• Love Money: La Leche League