Marci Launer, is the owner and founder of Launer Speech Language Therapy, a private speech language pathology practice based out of Long Island, NY. While working in early intervention she found her passion for feeding and swallowing in infants and specializes in treating infants and toddlers with Feeding and Swallowing difficulties. Marci has worked with preemies, micro preemies, infants and toddlers with various genetic disorders, syndromes and their families.
Quick Call Outs from the Episode:
- Focusing on feeding and swallowing can be a big part of the post-NICU journey for many families
- While your baby is in the NICU, under the care of medical staff, try to prepare your mind, your body, and your environment for when your baby will be home. Use that time to start to build your community.
- Meal Train/ Meal Baby plans are such a blessing! Not having to think about groceries and meals a few times a week gives parents space to focus on the more important matters that they are experiencing at the time
- Feeding and Swallowing can cause a lot of anxiety for parents of NICU grads. It can be challenging to get into a routine and become comfortable with bottles, positioning, and training infants how to chew and swallow properly as well as how to manage textures.
- Spending time working on feeding and swallowing doesn’t just help make feeding more pleasant for parents and infants, but it also helps lay the foundation for speech and language!
- Every experience is different - try not to compare your child's development to the experience of others. Surround yourself with community as you support your NICU grad.
- Marci's Grad Guide recommendation - Keep a journal and document your journey. You can use it to track food, and ounces, and communicating with your child’s team. When you look back, you will see progress, collaboration, and relationships.
Thanks for joining, Marci!! You can connect with Marci on instagram at Launer Speech Language Therapy, her website, or marci@launerspeechlanguagetherapy.com.
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A special thanks to the Prolacta Bioscience Foundation for supporting the NICU Alumni podcast!
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The purpose of this podcast is for entertainment only and should not be viewed as medical advice.