November 13, 2025 • 33 mins
When your baby doesn’t feel comfortable in their body, everything else feels harder—feeding, sleeping, even bonding.
Stephanie talks with Dr. Brita DeStefano, a pediatric physical therapist, about how small adjustments in movement and support can make a big difference in your baby’s comfort and development. From easing reflux to encouraging milestones, Brita shares how to help your little one (and yourself) feel more at ease in this early season of parenthood.
About Dr. Brita DeStefano:
Dr. Brita is a mom of 2, infant physical therapist, and owner of Progress Through Play in Denver, CO. She is passionate about supporting infants and their families through their first year of life. She believes that babies deserve to feel good in their bodies so that they can breath, eat, sleep, poop and play better. Her private practice offers 1-on-1 physical therapy, baby milestone classes, support groups, and virtual consultations.
Connect with Brita:
Website: www.ptpdenver.com
Instagram: @progressthroughplay
Learn more about the Redefining Us Monthly Community - https://wellmindedcounseling.com/redefining-us-community
Please leave us a review or rating! These help get the show out to more women like you wanting to have these conversations.
Would you like to chat more about this episode's topic? I would love to continue our conversation over on Instagram! @wellmindedcounseling
I wrote a book! Becoming Mommy: Aligning with yourself and finding your voice during pregnancy and motherhood, available at all major retailers - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZT9P3RB?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_KFT90ZBDS48FDGG6DH5X&bestFormat=true
Where to find more from Redefining Us:
Website: wellmindedcounseling.com/redefining-us-pod
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellmindedcounseling
Instagram: @wellmindedcounseling
If you want to support the show so we can continue sharing this content with others like you, you may do so here at, Buy Me A Coffee. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Welcome to Redefine Us, where we explore sexuality,
identity, motherhood, and mentalhealth to help women thrive
authentically.
Let's break free from roles thatlimit us and create a life where
you can truly be yourself.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
Today's guest, Dr.
(01:08):
Britta DiStavano, is a pediatricphysical therapist and the owner
of a Denver-based businesscalled Progress Through Play.
She spent several years of hereducation and early training
working in a variety ofdifferent settings before she
settled on opening her ownbusiness after she had noticed a
(01:29):
gap in care that's provided tobabies and toddlers and the
stress and anxiety that it wascausing parents.
So her work is going to betalked about in today's session,
and we do a deep dive into whatit's like to be an anxious mom
with a baby who's experiencingthings like tortois or tongue
(01:49):
ties or reflux, and really helpsbabies from infancy until
walking.
And I hope that you learn a lotas I did during this episode
today.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
I'm your host, StephanieContorera.
And today I have with me BrittaDe Stefano.
(02:11):
I would love for you to sharewith everyone a little bit more
about who you are.
I know you're a pediatricphysical therapist.
It specializes in birth towalking, but yeah, I'd love for
you to share more for ourlisteners.
SPEAKER_01 (02:27):
Thanks for having me.
Yeah, my name is Dr.
Britta, and I am an infantphysical therapist.
I have a practice called RestThrough Play that is in Denver,
Colorado.
And we specialize in your babiesmovement and are really
passionate about supportingfamilies in that first year of
(02:48):
their baby's life.
And so we offer a lot of things,including one-on-one physical
therapy, but we all do milestoneclasses, support groups for
babies, going through thingslike oral ties, and we do a lot
of community events and we posta lot of helpful tips and tricks
on our website and social media.
So trying to get as much of thisinformation out there as
(03:11):
possible.
SPEAKER_00 (03:11):
Yeah, I feel like a lot of moms in early motherhood
are like inundated withinformation.
So trying to weed out what ishelpful and what is not helpful
can be really tricky.
So going straight to someonewho's a an expert in this field
is really important, I think,because I think there's a lot of
noise from other people that areon the internet.
(03:33):
Um, so definitely recommendfollowing someone like yourself
who is really knowledgeableabout this time in your baby's
life, because there's a lot ofthings that I think need more
support than they are currentlygetting.
And so yeah, I guess my firstquestion really is for you to
help moms figure out, like inthose early phases, you know,
(03:55):
you mentioned as young as twomonths prior to this
conversation, if you could sharelike what people should be
looking out for in theirinfants.
SPEAKER_01 (04:03):
Yeah.
So the time period after birthand in those first eight weeks
is a lot of adjustment.
And so there's a lot of thingsthat might fall through the
cracks or that your pediatricianmight not pick up on because
they're really focused on, youknow, just weight gain and, you
know, their their generalhealth.
(04:24):
And as a physical therapist, weare looking a little bit deeper
than that.
And our practice is veryholistic.
So we really believe in lookingfrom head to toe and optimizing
the way that an infant is ableto use their body because
there's so many things that theyneed to be able to do in that
first year, and so many thingsthat they need to be able to
(04:45):
learn.
And we really want them to havea solid foundation to work off
of.
So the youngest patients thatwe've seen have been three days
old, and we work with them allthe way up until they start
walking.
And you can imagine how manythings their little bodies need
to be able to do from three daysall the way up until those first
steps.
And we really believe that ababy who feels good, who feels
(05:10):
comfortable in their body isgoing to achieve all of those
things easier.
And the big things are obviouslytheir milestones, doing their
tummy time, rolling over,sitting, crawling, and walking.
But babies need to do otherthings besides that as well.
And so a lot of what we do isalso helping babies optimize the
way that their body is able tofunction so that they can breast
(05:33):
or bottle feed better, so thatthey can digest better.
So we see a lot of babies whoare uncomfortable from
gassiness, reflux, colic,constipation, you name it.
If you've had a baby with any ofthose issues, you understand how
that trickles down so much intojust the way the whole family
(05:54):
functions.
Personally, my oldest, who's now11, was that baby who was just
really difficult to feed.
He had really bad reflux, he hada really bad ten tie, he was so
fussy, just a really high needsbaby.
And that impacts a lot of thingsabout the whole family dynamic,
but also about that baby'squality of life.
(06:16):
And it's going to also trickledown into their overall
movement.
They're not going to becomfortable being put down on
the floor.
They're not going to want to dotheir tummy time.
So oftentimes that does end upsnowballing into some bigger
issues.
And we really, really believe inhelping babies feel better
(06:36):
because we think that breathingwill be better, sleeping will be
better, eating will be better,pooping will be better.
And then also their milestones.
So that's really the foundationof what we're looking for in
those first couple of months oflife, is just that baby feeling
good in their body.
SPEAKER_00 (06:52):
And I think just hearing you say that, I guess I
didn't even realize that like PTcould help with something like a
digestive issue that is likewritten off as like a formula
problem or like a mom's dietproblem or something else.
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
Yeah, there's multiple layers to a lot of the
digestive complaints that we'rehelping families with because
there can be many different rootcauses to those things that you
mentioned.
And we do work closely withlactation consultants and we
have an integrative pediatrichealth provider who looks deeper
at gut health and working withtheir pediatricians.
(07:32):
But at the end of the day,there's oftentimes a component
of just the way the baby's babyis functioning that can help
them either ease discomfort fromwhatever that other root cause
issue is, like say it is dairyand mom's diet or whatever it
may be.
That baby is still at the end ofthe day very gassy, very
uncomfortable.
(07:53):
And there are ways that we canhelp improve the way they're
feeling while either us or thisother provider is helping to
work on the root cause of that.
And so we always just say thatno matter what the root cause
is, there's always things we canbe doing to help them feel
better.
SPEAKER_00 (08:09):
Yeah.
And like you mentioned, likewhen the baby feels good,
usually other people have thespace to feel good.
Cause if the baby's not feelinggood, no one has space to feel
good.
SPEAKER_01 (08:20):
No, it's it's truly a full family dynamic thing when
you have a baby who doesn't feelgood.
And I have, I have been there inthe middle of the night at 2
a.m.
where you're like, is my babyjust gassy or like, do we need
to go to the emergency room?
I don't know.
Like you're just so stressed andyou can't think straight.
And, you know, it just starts toreally impact your ability to to
(08:44):
function and make decisions andenjoy your baby.
At the end of the day, that'sone of the biggest things that I
feel like people are robbed ofwhen they are brushed off about
some of these issues.
A lot of them are kind of sweptunder the rug, and people are
told, well, that's just babiesbeing babies.
Babies have reflux, babies spitup, babies, you know, have gas,
(09:06):
whatever.
But to understand thateventually that crosses a line
where it's not normal anymore.
It's not ethical and it's reallyimpacting the baby, but the
parents and their mental healthand their sleep deprivation or
whatever it may be.
And I really want for thesefamilies to be able to enjoy
that newborn period and feellike they're empowered with ways
(09:28):
that they can be helping toimprove whatever it is that
their baby's struggling with,instead of just sitting around
and saying, well, it's justbeing babies, there's nothing we
can do about it.
And I just think that's BS.
SPEAKER_00 (09:41):
Yeah.
And I think this is somethingthat I found for myself when I
was very early on, new mom.
I still feel like I would callmyself new mom.
My baby's almost two, but Istill feel very new to this
game.
Um yeah, I have a friend and alittle bit of background going
to my own like physical therapy.
And I noticed that my baby hadlike some asymmetry, like in her
(10:04):
strength, as far as like sheonly wanted to like really push
up with her one arm during tummytime, like didn't really want to
go to the other side.
And like me as an anxious mom, Iwas like, oh my gosh, is
everything okay?
And with the pediatrician,they're like, Oh yeah, she's
fine.
And so I just kind of likeaccepted that, but it probably
(10:24):
would have been helpful to like,you know, really get an
assessment on like what wasgoing on because unless you
think that's normal.
I don't know.
I'm curious, are there peoplewho come to you and you find
yourself saying, like, yourbaby's just gonna grow out of
that and it's nothing to toworry about?
Or yeah, I guess that's myquestion.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
Yeah.
I mean, I think that theirlittle bodies go through a lot
just during pregnancy anddelivery, whatever the method
is, that what we see a lot ofthe time is that based on their
wound positioning, especially alonger or larger baby or a
smaller mom or the birthingprocess, whatever it may be,
(11:07):
affects their bodies.
They have a body just like wedo.
And the way that, you know, ifyou have tightness in your
shoulder or whatever, it makesyou want to stretch it out and
make it so that you can dothings more symmetrically.
The same for infants, but theycan't do that for themselves.
And so we do like to beproactive in noticing when their
(11:31):
body is not symmetrical in itsmovement, because that's
communication from them thatsomething doesn't feel the same
on this side that it does on theother side.
And the biggest thing aboutinfants is that when they are
moving their bodies, they willalways choose the path of least
(11:51):
resistance because they don'tunderstand, you know, oh, that
resistance that I feel, thatstretch, that's so good for me,
right?
Like the way that there's thatlittle bit of discomfort
associated with stretching, andyou're like, oh, that hurts so
good.
I'm gonna like push through it.
Infants don't have that.
And so they inherently move awayfrom resistance and don't
(12:12):
technically have that drive tostretch themselves.
And the asymmetries can be mild,in which case not see them
trickle down into other things,or those asymmetries turn into
bigger things like flattening onone side of their head if they
only look to one side or onlyrolling in one direction or
(12:33):
crawling, you know, thatasymmetrical crawl that they do
where they kind of hitch one oftheir legs up, are things that
it can turn into if we don'taddress it.
But obviously, there's aspectrum of, you know, my baby's
really, really tight, or youknow, this is something more
mild that, like you said, maynot turn into something bigger,
but we prefer to just beproactive.
(12:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:54):
Well, and even going back to what you said about the
idea of like feeling good, likeshe probably, you know, didn't
feel great, right?
Like having maybe only like thetightness on the one side.
So if that's the goal is to likehave your baby feel good, even
being stretched out, even ifit's like a mild issue, would
still be beneficial for thebaby's overall well-being.
SPEAKER_01 (13:17):
Yeah.
And that's one of the big thingsthat we try to address with a
lot of the more general thingsthat we either like post on our
website or social media or inour group classes, is just
helping parents understand howthey can move their baby's body,
you know, the positions they canput them in, the way you can
(13:38):
integrate that into just yourdaily play and interactions with
them.
Because a lot of people are alittle bit nervous.
They see us move their baby andthey're like, I had no idea I
could do that with them.
Is that okay?
And so a lot of that is, youknow, there's nothing wrong with
your baby or you're not havingany issues.
(13:59):
But if you're interested, likehere's all the things that they
can do, and here's all the waysthat you can help them move and
interact with them.
And it feels good to move yourbody.
And it feels good for them too,because a lot of times they're
in a circle and they're in a carseat and they're in a bouncer.
And so movement is is medicine,it's it's motion is lotion,
(14:20):
whatever they say that it can befun, even if there's not a
problem that you're trying toaddress.
SPEAKER_00 (14:26):
Yeah, I like that.
And just like kind of teachinghealthy habits from like an
early age.
And again, I know babies can'tnecessarily like learn in the
same way that maybe like a childor an adult can, but if your
body's like kind of constantlylike scrunched up or maybe like
not in a position that'sergonomically helpful, having a
(14:46):
mom or a dad like no exercisesto do with their baby to help
stretch them out sounds to me atleast something positive for
like the lifespan of theirchild.
SPEAKER_01 (14:57):
Yeah.
I mean, we tell parents it'slike doing little yoga for your
baby's body because that feelsgood.
And their little bodiescravement the same way that ours
do.
And a lot of what we're teachingis, you know, learning about the
way your specific baby's bodymoves because we're all wired
(15:19):
differently and the types ofmovement that your baby likes
and how that relates back tobeing able to regulate their
nervous system or improve theirdigestion.
You know, there's so manybenefits to different types of
movement, like rhythmic movementis more calming for a baby who
(15:40):
has a really heightened nervoussystem.
And then a lot of movement inthrough their trunk and their
stomach is really good for ababy who's maybe not pooping as
regularly as we want them to.
And so there's there's veryspecific things that we can help
parents hone in on based on, youknow, kind of these specific
needs.
SPEAKER_00 (15:58):
Yeah, it almost feels like uh another way to
help soothe your baby as like aparent rather than just like
the, you know, the rocking andlike the padding on the back and
all the other things that aremaybe more universally
understood as like soothingmethods.
Like this is another way to likelearn how to soothe your baby.
SPEAKER_01 (16:16):
Definitely.
And I think a way to build evendeeper connections with your
baby because you're reallyattuned to what feels good, what
doesn't feel good, whatmovements they like, when they
like you to do them.
And I think that that builds adeeper bond between the parents
and the baby because a lot ofwhat we do, we're assessing
(16:40):
infants as physical therapists,it's a lot of hands-on work.
And I always say I'm I'mlistening to their body.
Obviously, they can'tcommunicate in words, but
there's a lot of ways that theirbodies talk to me.
And being able to help teachsome of that to the parent, I
think is really empowering too.
(17:00):
They they learn, you know, howto communicate with their baby
better or how their baby iscommunicating with them and what
each of those things mean.
And so I really like that aspectof what we do too.
I think the parents learn a lotthrough our sessions and we get
to have a whole hour with them.
So we get to just be teachingthe whole time, which is really
(17:21):
fun.
SPEAKER_00 (17:21):
Yeah.
I guess what do you see as likethe most common reason why
someone comes in?
Is it usually digestive issues,or are there other things that
really, I don't know, peoplefeel most compelled to come and
work with you?
SPEAKER_01 (17:35):
Yeah, I think the biggest things that we see are
that one-sided tightness.
You might hear the termtortocolis, which is really just
talking about tightness in ababy's neck, but that usually
means they're only looking toone side or that asymmetry that
you mentioned before.
Uh, that's a really big one thatwe get.
And then the other big one isusually related to some sort of
(17:57):
breast or bottle feedingstruggles, which typically
trickles down into some of thatdigestive complaints.
So the reflux or the gassiness,uh, a lot of which relates back
to tongue tie, lip tie, youknow, oral ties as part of that
puzzle.
But one of our biggest referralsources is lactation consultants
who are working really closelywith these families to really
(18:19):
optimize their feeding journey.
And when they have pulled outall their tricks and done
everything they can to helpimprove latch and milk supply
and everything on their end, andthings just still aren't quite
clicking.
We really look at infant feedingas a full-body experience for
the infant.
And so many things need to workin harmony to make it be the
(18:40):
best that it can be.
And so we really see a lot ofthat in that newborn phase as
well, is being able to helpoptimize that feeding journey,
which relates back to theirdigestion as well.
SPEAKER_00 (18:54):
I mean, that makes a lot of sense to me.
And like even thinking as anadult, like eating is kind of a
full body experience, right?
You need to use your your handsas an adult, you need to use
your your jaw and your tongueand you know, all the muscles
that help digest food andorgans.
Like, yeah.
So it makes sense that an infantwould also need like their whole
(19:15):
body to be in like harmony andan alignment in order to
breastfeed or even alleviatedigestive issues.
SPEAKER_01 (19:24):
Yeah.
And the thing that really helpsinfants is that they are born
with all of these newbornreflexes, right?
Those are those subconscious,automatic movements that are
supposed to drive that functionin the beginning and make it
automatic so that then they canbuild the skill.
And as the reflexes go away, thebaby knows consciously how to do
(20:42):
it.
But there are things that canimpact the way that those
reflexes are firing.
And so if they're not doing whatthey're supposed to do, it can
be really tricky because a babyhasn't built up that skill yet.
And so that's one of the thingsthat we're always assessing for
is that, you know,evolutionarily we have these
reflexes that are supposed tojust get us started on the right
(21:04):
foot so that we can learn allthe things we need to learn as
an infant.
And oftentimes, whether it'sbaby was premature or they had a
traumatic birth, or just for noreason that we can discern those
reflexes aren't doing whatthey're supposed to do.
And that's another big thingthat we look at in terms of that
harmony of the body all workingthe way it's supposed to, is
(21:25):
making sure that there's nothingimpacting that.
SPEAKER_00 (21:28):
I imagine people also come to you a little bit
later on, not just like in thefirst eight weeks, but also like
when developmental issues mayoccur with like sitting or
rolling or crawling and walking,et cetera.
What is the general thing thatyou find to be most like helpful
for parents in those situations?
SPEAKER_01 (21:49):
Yeah.
So we get obviously then thenext phase, right?
Is that there's a lot ofmovement and mobility that your
baby needs to achieve in thatfirst year.
And it happens, it needs tohappen pretty rapidly in the
scheme of things.
That first year we're learning alot, and then it kind of slows
down a little bit after that.
And so we again like to be moreproactive so that you know we're
(22:12):
not slowing that child down frombeing able to engage with the
environment, engage with theirpeers, achieve other milestones
that happen afterwards.
And so we do look pretty closelyat baby being able to roll in
all directions, be able to situp independently.
That's going to impact whetherthey can start solids and then
crawling so that they can reallyaccess their environments, learn
(22:36):
from it, and then, you know,obviously pulling up to stand
and walking.
So we do get families that arecoming in, you know, to put
their baby not necessarily amilestone, and we expect them
to.
And this is just another coolway that we get to help parents
learn about their baby's bodies,is we get to figure out why.
(22:57):
Why is this baby not doing whatwe expect them to be doing?
And there's always a reason.
Babies aren't lazy.
They're they're not just like,oh, I don't want to.
Babies want to move and exploretheir environment.
So if they're not doing it, it'snot because they're lazy.
There is a reason.
And I get to play detective andhelp figure that out for
families, which is really cool.
(23:17):
And then help them figure outwhat's the next step.
How do we get them to this placethat we'd like them to be so
that they can stay on track andeverything can move forward from
there?
And it's a lot of play.
It's fun things that you can dowith your baby to engage them in
those milestones.
(23:39):
And the the hack or the trick isthat each milestone builds on
the one previous to it.
So the more we work on themilestone before, the more we
work on rolling, the better yourbaby will be at sitting and you
know, so forth.
And so really getting them a lotof that movement practice, their
(24:03):
current milestones is reallygoing to feed forward into what
we want them to do next.
So that's just a trick for youout there.
SPEAKER_00 (24:11):
Yeah, I think it's really interesting, and then I
imagine it was intentional thewording that you chose, only
because I've heard people say,like, oh, my baby just is is
lazy, or my baby doesn't haveany motivation to move.
Like, you know, they're fine.
Cause I've heard that.
And I always thought to myself,because my daughter was delayed
(24:33):
in the doctor's terminology.
Yeah.
To to crawling and standing andall of that.
And they're like, well, maybeshe's just like not motivated.
That was the first what they hadsaid.
And I was like, I don't know.
Like, I feel like other babiesare crawling and she just is
kind of like, yeah, I'm justgonna hang out here.
I don't think that's because ofshe's stubborn, like she's a
(24:55):
baby.
I don't it hasn't context to bestubborn.
I don't know.
So even that I was likequestioning like, is this, I
don't know, myth, or is thisjust like passive information
that's gets like passed down?
It's like I don't think that'saccurate.
And I found myself feeling like,am I making a bigger deal out of
this than I need to because likeI'm anxious, or is this a big
(25:18):
deal?
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
Well, I do think there is a big component to a
baby's personality being a partof their development journey.
So I don't want to write off thedifferences between, you know,
say a child who is reallywilling to take risks.
We've all seen the kid that willjust throw themselves off the
playground and just, you know, Ihave one really cautious kid and
(25:43):
one who's not so cautious.
And that is deeply rooted intheir personality.
It's not something that Iinfluenced.
That is just the way that theycame out and the way that
they've always been.
That is going to impactpotentially the trajectory of a
baby meeting their milestonesbecause, in order for a child to
(26:03):
achieve a new skill, it requiresa lot of trial and error.
They have to figure out how notto do it before they figure out
how to do it.
They do not just stand up andwalk the very first time they
try.
So everybody's comfort levelwith the error part of that
process is different.
And as someone who's not supercomfortable with it yourself,
(26:26):
you know, it it will impactbecause there's that wide range
of normal, right?
Of when each baby achieves eachmilestone.
Not every baby rolls exactly atthree or four months, some roll
at five or six months.
And so personality, yes, willplay a part.
If you have a very cautiouskiddo, they might walk a little
bit later because they're justwanting to make sure they feel
(26:49):
really safe, that they feelreally stable, really secure in
their skill before they justtake off.
And that's all within that scopeof normal, but that's that's
cautiousness, that's you know,risk taking, that's not
laziness.
Then there's a baby who trulyjust doesn't have the ability to
(27:11):
interact in that trial and errorprocess because something's
holding them back.
And again, it's not necessarilylady laziness, maybe it's that
their body is feeling a littletight, or they have some weak
muscles or some reflexes thatdidn't integrate properly, or
their tummy hurts.
Sometimes it's just like mybaby's really constipated and
gassy, so it just doesn't reallyfeel good for them to move very
(27:32):
much.
And they kind of would ratherjust kind of stay static because
movement with a really distendedtummy just doesn't feel good.
So, again, whatever thatreasoning is, we always want to
help dive into that so that thebaby can go through that trial
and error process at whateverspeed they feel comfortable
with.
Again, we don't want to forcethem to do something that
(27:52):
doesn't feel safe in their body,but it is really interesting to
see when the littlepersonalities kick in and
influence the rate at which thekiddos are willing to take that
next step.
SPEAKER_00 (28:04):
Yeah, I I imagine my daughter is very cautious, uh
little kid, like her daycareteacher was joking that she
didn't smile at them for liketwo months because she was like
assessing their personality.
Someone's like, okay.
Yeah.
So yes, I do think that'sprobably like an eight thing in
her, like I'm sure it is forother children, and other
(28:27):
children are like running whenyou know the first chance they
get.
So I definitely think there'spersonality that plays into it
for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (28:35):
Yeah.
But we always want to make surethat that's what's going on and
not something else.
So um we can do that assessmentof their body and make sure
there's nothing there that'simpacting things, and then just
say, like, okay, this is areally cautious kid.
We understand personality andtheir willingness to do that
trial and error and take risks.
So here's how we're gonna createa really supportive environment
(28:56):
for this baby to feel morecomfortable trying these things
that seem a little scary to themso that we can set them up for
success and they can, you know,start to learn some of those new
skills.
It just is helpful to have thatknowledge so that you know how
to set them up for success.
SPEAKER_00 (29:11):
Yeah.
No, I I like the way that yousaid that because I think even
just simple things that maybe aperson who's not educated in
this um as well as you are, aswell as I'm sure the other
people on your team are, likemay not know how to like
encourage their baby to dosomething that feels safe to
them rather than like, okay,well, I'm expecting you just to
(29:32):
pull yourself up now.
Like, why aren't you doing it?
Like, kind of teaching themthose like incremental maybe
movements in order to feel safeand secure in doing the next
step.
SPEAKER_01 (29:42):
Yeah.
We talk about like little minimilestones like that.
And then also there are so manythings that can be done
incrementally.
Like maybe all we're doing ischanging the height of the
surface that they're pulling upto stand at, and it shifts their
weight in a different way, makesthem feel more sturdy.
Or if we're trying to get themto use a pushwalker, if it's too
(30:04):
fast, that baby's not going tofeel safe pushing that
pushwalker.
What can we do to adjust thisactivity to make that baby feel
more stable?
You know, there's lots of thoselittle adjustments that we can
make to just create thatenvironment that's more
conducive to that specific childachieving that milestone.
SPEAKER_00 (30:21):
Yeah.
Well, I was hoping you couldshare with everyone like where
they can find you and connectwith you if they want to um seek
your services out.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (30:33):
We are on social media.
So our main platform isInstagram, because I'm an elder
millennial and that's about allI can put my effort into.
But we're at Progress ThroughPlay on Instagram.
And then our website again has alot of our online resources.
So we've created some coursesand a lot of blog posts and free
(30:55):
guides to fill in the gaps,maybe if families are wondering
about their babies movement.
And so our website isptpdunver.com.
And those are the two mainplaces you can find us.
SPEAKER_00 (31:09):
Yeah.
Well, I really appreciate youcoming on.
I think it's helpful to knowthat there's maybe other
resources and even ways to beproactive.
Cause I think at least a lot ofmoms that I know like waited
until their pediatrician waslike, you need to address this.
And it'll be it's a good to knowthat there's other resources out
there that you don't have towait until your pediatrician is
(31:30):
saying, like, no, this is likeabsolutely necessary to address.
So I really appreciate that whatyou're doing.
Thank you.
Well, thank you again, and yeah,bye.
Thank you for tuning in.
Into redefining us once againand share with other people so
other people can continue tolisten to redefining us, and we
(31:53):
can get into more listeners'ears if you follow us or
subscribe or leave a comment orreview.
That would be greatly helpfulfor other people to find us and
also just for me to get somefeedback.
What do you guys wanna hear mesay?
What do you women care abouthearing?
I'm totally open to bringing onguests and talking about topics
(32:15):
that are unique and inspiring toeveryone, so please let me know.
And this year hopefully be fullof a lot of community building,
a lot of public speaking, a lotof resource sharing.
So I really encourage you tofollow us on social media at
Wellminded Counseling onInstagram as our handle, as well
as going directly to ourwebsite, wellmindcounseling.com
(32:38):
backslash redefining us, so youcan be in the know with all the
things that are happening in theRedefining Us community.
Once again, thank you so muchfor listening and keeping
awesome.
Welcome to Redefine Us, where we explore sexuality,
identity, motherhood, and mentalhealth to help women thrive
authentically.
Let's break free from roles thatlimit us and create a life where
you can truly be yourself.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
Today's guest, Dr.
(01:08):
Britta DiStavano, is a pediatricphysical therapist and the owner
of a Denver-based businesscalled Progress Through Play.
She spent several years of hereducation and early training
working in a variety ofdifferent settings before she
settled on opening her ownbusiness after she had noticed a
(01:29):
gap in care that's provided tobabies and toddlers and the
stress and anxiety that it wascausing parents.
So her work is going to betalked about in today's session,
and we do a deep dive into whatit's like to be an anxious mom
with a baby who's experiencingthings like tortois or tongue
(01:49):
ties or reflux, and really helpsbabies from infancy until
walking.
And I hope that you learn a lotas I did during this episode
today.
Welcome back to Redefining Us.
I'm your host, StephanieContorera.
And today I have with me BrittaDe Stefano.
(02:11):
I would love for you to sharewith everyone a little bit more
about who you are.
I know you're a pediatricphysical therapist.
It specializes in birth towalking, but yeah, I'd love for
you to share more for ourlisteners.
SPEAKER_01 (02:27):
Thanks for having me.
Yeah, my name is Dr.
Britta, and I am an infantphysical therapist.
I have a practice called RestThrough Play that is in Denver,
Colorado.
And we specialize in your babiesmovement and are really
passionate about supportingfamilies in that first year of
(02:48):
their baby's life.
And so we offer a lot of things,including one-on-one physical
therapy, but we all do milestoneclasses, support groups for
babies, going through thingslike oral ties, and we do a lot
of community events and we posta lot of helpful tips and tricks
on our website and social media.
So trying to get as much of thisinformation out there as
(03:11):
possible.
SPEAKER_00 (03:11):
Yeah, I feel like a lot of moms in early motherhood
are like inundated withinformation.
So trying to weed out what ishelpful and what is not helpful
can be really tricky.
So going straight to someonewho's a an expert in this field
is really important, I think,because I think there's a lot of
noise from other people that areon the internet.
(03:33):
Um, so definitely recommendfollowing someone like yourself
who is really knowledgeableabout this time in your baby's
life, because there's a lot ofthings that I think need more
support than they are currentlygetting.
And so yeah, I guess my firstquestion really is for you to
help moms figure out, like inthose early phases, you know,
(03:55):
you mentioned as young as twomonths prior to this
conversation, if you could sharelike what people should be
looking out for in theirinfants.
SPEAKER_01 (04:03):
Yeah.
So the time period after birthand in those first eight weeks
is a lot of adjustment.
And so there's a lot of thingsthat might fall through the
cracks or that your pediatricianmight not pick up on because
they're really focused on, youknow, just weight gain and, you
know, their their generalhealth.
(04:24):
And as a physical therapist, weare looking a little bit deeper
than that.
And our practice is veryholistic.
So we really believe in lookingfrom head to toe and optimizing
the way that an infant is ableto use their body because
there's so many things that theyneed to be able to do in that
first year, and so many thingsthat they need to be able to
(04:45):
learn.
And we really want them to havea solid foundation to work off
of.
So the youngest patients thatwe've seen have been three days
old, and we work with them allthe way up until they start
walking.
And you can imagine how manythings their little bodies need
to be able to do from three daysall the way up until those first
steps.
And we really believe that ababy who feels good, who feels
(05:10):
comfortable in their body isgoing to achieve all of those
things easier.
And the big things are obviouslytheir milestones, doing their
tummy time, rolling over,sitting, crawling, and walking.
But babies need to do otherthings besides that as well.
And so a lot of what we do isalso helping babies optimize the
way that their body is able tofunction so that they can breast
(05:33):
or bottle feed better, so thatthey can digest better.
So we see a lot of babies whoare uncomfortable from
gassiness, reflux, colic,constipation, you name it.
If you've had a baby with any ofthose issues, you understand how
that trickles down so much intojust the way the whole family
(05:54):
functions.
Personally, my oldest, who's now11, was that baby who was just
really difficult to feed.
He had really bad reflux, he hada really bad ten tie, he was so
fussy, just a really high needsbaby.
And that impacts a lot of thingsabout the whole family dynamic,
but also about that baby'squality of life.
(06:16):
And it's going to also trickledown into their overall
movement.
They're not going to becomfortable being put down on
the floor.
They're not going to want to dotheir tummy time.
So oftentimes that does end upsnowballing into some bigger
issues.
And we really, really believe inhelping babies feel better
(06:36):
because we think that breathingwill be better, sleeping will be
better, eating will be better,pooping will be better.
And then also their milestones.
So that's really the foundationof what we're looking for in
those first couple of months oflife, is just that baby feeling
good in their body.
SPEAKER_00 (06:52):
And I think just hearing you say that, I guess I
didn't even realize that like PTcould help with something like a
digestive issue that is likewritten off as like a formula
problem or like a mom's dietproblem or something else.
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
Yeah, there's multiple layers to a lot of the
digestive complaints that we'rehelping families with because
there can be many different rootcauses to those things that you
mentioned.
And we do work closely withlactation consultants and we
have an integrative pediatrichealth provider who looks deeper
at gut health and working withtheir pediatricians.
(07:32):
But at the end of the day,there's oftentimes a component
of just the way the baby's babyis functioning that can help
them either ease discomfort fromwhatever that other root cause
issue is, like say it is dairyand mom's diet or whatever it
may be.
That baby is still at the end ofthe day very gassy, very
uncomfortable.
(07:53):
And there are ways that we canhelp improve the way they're
feeling while either us or thisother provider is helping to
work on the root cause of that.
And so we always just say thatno matter what the root cause
is, there's always things we canbe doing to help them feel
better.
SPEAKER_00 (08:09):
Yeah.
And like you mentioned, likewhen the baby feels good,
usually other people have thespace to feel good.
Cause if the baby's not feelinggood, no one has space to feel
good.
SPEAKER_01 (08:20):
No, it's it's truly a full family dynamic thing when
you have a baby who doesn't feelgood.
And I have, I have been there inthe middle of the night at 2
a.m.
where you're like, is my babyjust gassy or like, do we need
to go to the emergency room?
I don't know.
Like you're just so stressed andyou can't think straight.
And, you know, it just starts toreally impact your ability to to
(08:44):
function and make decisions andenjoy your baby.
At the end of the day, that'sone of the biggest things that I
feel like people are robbed ofwhen they are brushed off about
some of these issues.
A lot of them are kind of sweptunder the rug, and people are
told, well, that's just babiesbeing babies.
Babies have reflux, babies spitup, babies, you know, have gas,
(09:06):
whatever.
But to understand thateventually that crosses a line
where it's not normal anymore.
It's not ethical and it's reallyimpacting the baby, but the
parents and their mental healthand their sleep deprivation or
whatever it may be.
And I really want for thesefamilies to be able to enjoy
that newborn period and feellike they're empowered with ways
(09:28):
that they can be helping toimprove whatever it is that
their baby's struggling with,instead of just sitting around
and saying, well, it's justbeing babies, there's nothing we
can do about it.
And I just think that's BS.
SPEAKER_00 (09:41):
Yeah.
And I think this is somethingthat I found for myself when I
was very early on, new mom.
I still feel like I would callmyself new mom.
My baby's almost two, but Istill feel very new to this
game.
Um yeah, I have a friend and alittle bit of background going
to my own like physical therapy.
And I noticed that my baby hadlike some asymmetry, like in her
(10:04):
strength, as far as like sheonly wanted to like really push
up with her one arm during tummytime, like didn't really want to
go to the other side.
And like me as an anxious mom, Iwas like, oh my gosh, is
everything okay?
And with the pediatrician,they're like, Oh yeah, she's
fine.
And so I just kind of likeaccepted that, but it probably
(10:24):
would have been helpful to like,you know, really get an
assessment on like what wasgoing on because unless you
think that's normal.
I don't know.
I'm curious, are there peoplewho come to you and you find
yourself saying, like, yourbaby's just gonna grow out of
that and it's nothing to toworry about?
Or yeah, I guess that's myquestion.
SPEAKER_01 (10:43):
Yeah.
I mean, I think that theirlittle bodies go through a lot
just during pregnancy anddelivery, whatever the method
is, that what we see a lot ofthe time is that based on their
wound positioning, especially alonger or larger baby or a
smaller mom or the birthingprocess, whatever it may be,
(11:07):
affects their bodies.
They have a body just like wedo.
And the way that, you know, ifyou have tightness in your
shoulder or whatever, it makesyou want to stretch it out and
make it so that you can dothings more symmetrically.
The same for infants, but theycan't do that for themselves.
And so we do like to beproactive in noticing when their
(11:31):
body is not symmetrical in itsmovement, because that's
communication from them thatsomething doesn't feel the same
on this side that it does on theother side.
And the biggest thing aboutinfants is that when they are
moving their bodies, they willalways choose the path of least
(11:51):
resistance because they don'tunderstand, you know, oh, that
resistance that I feel, thatstretch, that's so good for me,
right?
Like the way that there's thatlittle bit of discomfort
associated with stretching, andyou're like, oh, that hurts so
good.
I'm gonna like push through it.
Infants don't have that.
And so they inherently move awayfrom resistance and don't
(12:12):
technically have that drive tostretch themselves.
And the asymmetries can be mild,in which case not see them
trickle down into other things,or those asymmetries turn into
bigger things like flattening onone side of their head if they
only look to one side or onlyrolling in one direction or
(12:33):
crawling, you know, thatasymmetrical crawl that they do
where they kind of hitch one oftheir legs up, are things that
it can turn into if we don'taddress it.
But obviously, there's aspectrum of, you know, my baby's
really, really tight, or youknow, this is something more
mild that, like you said, maynot turn into something bigger,
but we prefer to just beproactive.
(12:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:54):
Well, and even going back to what you said about the
idea of like feeling good, likeshe probably, you know, didn't
feel great, right?
Like having maybe only like thetightness on the one side.
So if that's the goal is to likehave your baby feel good, even
being stretched out, even ifit's like a mild issue, would
still be beneficial for thebaby's overall well-being.
SPEAKER_01 (13:17):
Yeah.
And that's one of the big thingsthat we try to address with a
lot of the more general thingsthat we either like post on our
website or social media or inour group classes, is just
helping parents understand howthey can move their baby's body,
you know, the positions they canput them in, the way you can
(13:38):
integrate that into just yourdaily play and interactions with
them.
Because a lot of people are alittle bit nervous.
They see us move their baby andthey're like, I had no idea I
could do that with them.
Is that okay?
And so a lot of that is, youknow, there's nothing wrong with
your baby or you're not havingany issues.
(13:59):
But if you're interested, likehere's all the things that they
can do, and here's all the waysthat you can help them move and
interact with them.
And it feels good to move yourbody.
And it feels good for them too,because a lot of times they're
in a circle and they're in a carseat and they're in a bouncer.
And so movement is is medicine,it's it's motion is lotion,
(14:20):
whatever they say that it can befun, even if there's not a
problem that you're trying toaddress.
SPEAKER_00 (14:26):
Yeah, I like that.
And just like kind of teachinghealthy habits from like an
early age.
And again, I know babies can'tnecessarily like learn in the
same way that maybe like a childor an adult can, but if your
body's like kind of constantlylike scrunched up or maybe like
not in a position that'sergonomically helpful, having a
(14:46):
mom or a dad like no exercisesto do with their baby to help
stretch them out sounds to me atleast something positive for
like the lifespan of theirchild.
SPEAKER_01 (14:57):
Yeah.
I mean, we tell parents it'slike doing little yoga for your
baby's body because that feelsgood.
And their little bodiescravement the same way that ours
do.
And a lot of what we're teachingis, you know, learning about the
way your specific baby's bodymoves because we're all wired
(15:19):
differently and the types ofmovement that your baby likes
and how that relates back tobeing able to regulate their
nervous system or improve theirdigestion.
You know, there's so manybenefits to different types of
movement, like rhythmic movementis more calming for a baby who
(15:40):
has a really heightened nervoussystem.
And then a lot of movement inthrough their trunk and their
stomach is really good for ababy who's maybe not pooping as
regularly as we want them to.
And so there's there's veryspecific things that we can help
parents hone in on based on, youknow, kind of these specific
needs.
SPEAKER_00 (15:58):
Yeah, it almost feels like uh another way to
help soothe your baby as like aparent rather than just like
the, you know, the rocking andlike the padding on the back and
all the other things that aremaybe more universally
understood as like soothingmethods.
Like this is another way to likelearn how to soothe your baby.
SPEAKER_01 (16:16):
Definitely.
And I think a way to build evendeeper connections with your
baby because you're reallyattuned to what feels good, what
doesn't feel good, whatmovements they like, when they
like you to do them.
And I think that that builds adeeper bond between the parents
and the baby because a lot ofwhat we do, we're assessing
(16:40):
infants as physical therapists,it's a lot of hands-on work.
And I always say I'm I'mlistening to their body.
Obviously, they can'tcommunicate in words, but
there's a lot of ways that theirbodies talk to me.
And being able to help teachsome of that to the parent, I
think is really empowering too.
(17:00):
They they learn, you know, howto communicate with their baby
better or how their baby iscommunicating with them and what
each of those things mean.
And so I really like that aspectof what we do too.
I think the parents learn a lotthrough our sessions and we get
to have a whole hour with them.
So we get to just be teachingthe whole time, which is really
(17:21):
fun.
SPEAKER_00 (17:21):
Yeah.
I guess what do you see as likethe most common reason why
someone comes in?
Is it usually digestive issues,or are there other things that
really, I don't know, peoplefeel most compelled to come and
work with you?
SPEAKER_01 (17:35):
Yeah, I think the biggest things that we see are
that one-sided tightness.
You might hear the termtortocolis, which is really just
talking about tightness in ababy's neck, but that usually
means they're only looking toone side or that asymmetry that
you mentioned before.
Uh, that's a really big one thatwe get.
And then the other big one isusually related to some sort of
(17:57):
breast or bottle feedingstruggles, which typically
trickles down into some of thatdigestive complaints.
So the reflux or the gassiness,uh, a lot of which relates back
to tongue tie, lip tie, youknow, oral ties as part of that
puzzle.
But one of our biggest referralsources is lactation consultants
who are working really closelywith these families to really
(18:19):
optimize their feeding journey.
And when they have pulled outall their tricks and done
everything they can to helpimprove latch and milk supply
and everything on their end, andthings just still aren't quite
clicking.
We really look at infant feedingas a full-body experience for
the infant.
And so many things need to workin harmony to make it be the
(18:40):
best that it can be.
And so we really see a lot ofthat in that newborn phase as
well, is being able to helpoptimize that feeding journey,
which relates back to theirdigestion as well.
SPEAKER_00 (18:54):
I mean, that makes a lot of sense to me.
And like even thinking as anadult, like eating is kind of a
full body experience, right?
You need to use your your handsas an adult, you need to use
your your jaw and your tongueand you know, all the muscles
that help digest food andorgans.
Like, yeah.
So it makes sense that an infantwould also need like their whole
(19:15):
body to be in like harmony andan alignment in order to
breastfeed or even alleviatedigestive issues.
SPEAKER_01 (19:24):
Yeah.
And the thing that really helpsinfants is that they are born
with all of these newbornreflexes, right?
Those are those subconscious,automatic movements that are
supposed to drive that functionin the beginning and make it
automatic so that then they canbuild the skill.
And as the reflexes go away, thebaby knows consciously how to do
(20:42):
it.
But there are things that canimpact the way that those
reflexes are firing.
And so if they're not doing whatthey're supposed to do, it can
be really tricky because a babyhasn't built up that skill yet.
And so that's one of the thingsthat we're always assessing for
is that, you know,evolutionarily we have these
reflexes that are supposed tojust get us started on the right
(21:04):
foot so that we can learn allthe things we need to learn as
an infant.
And oftentimes, whether it'sbaby was premature or they had a
traumatic birth, or just for noreason that we can discern those
reflexes aren't doing whatthey're supposed to do.
And that's another big thingthat we look at in terms of that
harmony of the body all workingthe way it's supposed to, is
(21:25):
making sure that there's nothingimpacting that.
SPEAKER_00 (21:28):
I imagine people also come to you a little bit
later on, not just like in thefirst eight weeks, but also like
when developmental issues mayoccur with like sitting or
rolling or crawling and walking,et cetera.
What is the general thing thatyou find to be most like helpful
for parents in those situations?
SPEAKER_01 (21:49):
Yeah.
So we get obviously then thenext phase, right?
Is that there's a lot ofmovement and mobility that your
baby needs to achieve in thatfirst year.
And it happens, it needs tohappen pretty rapidly in the
scheme of things.
That first year we're learning alot, and then it kind of slows
down a little bit after that.
And so we again like to be moreproactive so that you know we're
(22:12):
not slowing that child down frombeing able to engage with the
environment, engage with theirpeers, achieve other milestones
that happen afterwards.
And so we do look pretty closelyat baby being able to roll in
all directions, be able to situp independently.
That's going to impact whetherthey can start solids and then
crawling so that they can reallyaccess their environments, learn
(22:36):
from it, and then, you know,obviously pulling up to stand
and walking.
So we do get families that arecoming in, you know, to put
their baby not necessarily amilestone, and we expect them
to.
And this is just another coolway that we get to help parents
learn about their baby's bodies,is we get to figure out why.
(22:57):
Why is this baby not doing whatwe expect them to be doing?
And there's always a reason.
Babies aren't lazy.
They're they're not just like,oh, I don't want to.
Babies want to move and exploretheir environment.
So if they're not doing it, it'snot because they're lazy.
There is a reason.
And I get to play detective andhelp figure that out for
families, which is really cool.
(23:17):
And then help them figure outwhat's the next step.
How do we get them to this placethat we'd like them to be so
that they can stay on track andeverything can move forward from
there?
And it's a lot of play.
It's fun things that you can dowith your baby to engage them in
those milestones.
(23:39):
And the the hack or the trick isthat each milestone builds on
the one previous to it.
So the more we work on themilestone before, the more we
work on rolling, the better yourbaby will be at sitting and you
know, so forth.
And so really getting them a lotof that movement practice, their
(24:03):
current milestones is reallygoing to feed forward into what
we want them to do next.
So that's just a trick for youout there.
SPEAKER_00 (24:11):
Yeah, I think it's really interesting, and then I
imagine it was intentional thewording that you chose, only
because I've heard people say,like, oh, my baby just is is
lazy, or my baby doesn't haveany motivation to move.
Like, you know, they're fine.
Cause I've heard that.
And I always thought to myself,because my daughter was delayed
(24:33):
in the doctor's terminology.
Yeah.
To to crawling and standing andall of that.
And they're like, well, maybeshe's just like not motivated.
That was the first what they hadsaid.
And I was like, I don't know.
Like, I feel like other babiesare crawling and she just is
kind of like, yeah, I'm justgonna hang out here.
I don't think that's because ofshe's stubborn, like she's a
(24:55):
baby.
I don't it hasn't context to bestubborn.
I don't know.
So even that I was likequestioning like, is this, I
don't know, myth, or is thisjust like passive information
that's gets like passed down?
It's like I don't think that'saccurate.
And I found myself feeling like,am I making a bigger deal out of
this than I need to because likeI'm anxious, or is this a big
(25:18):
deal?
SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
Well, I do think there is a big component to a
baby's personality being a partof their development journey.
So I don't want to write off thedifferences between, you know,
say a child who is reallywilling to take risks.
We've all seen the kid that willjust throw themselves off the
playground and just, you know, Ihave one really cautious kid and
(25:43):
one who's not so cautious.
And that is deeply rooted intheir personality.
It's not something that Iinfluenced.
That is just the way that theycame out and the way that
they've always been.
That is going to impactpotentially the trajectory of a
baby meeting their milestonesbecause, in order for a child to
(26:03):
achieve a new skill, it requiresa lot of trial and error.
They have to figure out how notto do it before they figure out
how to do it.
They do not just stand up andwalk the very first time they
try.
So everybody's comfort levelwith the error part of that
process is different.
And as someone who's not supercomfortable with it yourself,
(26:26):
you know, it it will impactbecause there's that wide range
of normal, right?
Of when each baby achieves eachmilestone.
Not every baby rolls exactly atthree or four months, some roll
at five or six months.
And so personality, yes, willplay a part.
If you have a very cautiouskiddo, they might walk a little
bit later because they're justwanting to make sure they feel
(26:49):
really safe, that they feelreally stable, really secure in
their skill before they justtake off.
And that's all within that scopeof normal, but that's that's
cautiousness, that's you know,risk taking, that's not
laziness.
Then there's a baby who trulyjust doesn't have the ability to
(27:11):
interact in that trial and errorprocess because something's
holding them back.
And again, it's not necessarilylady laziness, maybe it's that
their body is feeling a littletight, or they have some weak
muscles or some reflexes thatdidn't integrate properly, or
their tummy hurts.
Sometimes it's just like mybaby's really constipated and
gassy, so it just doesn't reallyfeel good for them to move very
(27:32):
much.
And they kind of would ratherjust kind of stay static because
movement with a really distendedtummy just doesn't feel good.
So, again, whatever thatreasoning is, we always want to
help dive into that so that thebaby can go through that trial
and error process at whateverspeed they feel comfortable
with.
Again, we don't want to forcethem to do something that
(27:52):
doesn't feel safe in their body,but it is really interesting to
see when the littlepersonalities kick in and
influence the rate at which thekiddos are willing to take that
next step.
SPEAKER_00 (28:04):
Yeah, I I imagine my daughter is very cautious, uh
little kid, like her daycareteacher was joking that she
didn't smile at them for liketwo months because she was like
assessing their personality.
Someone's like, okay.
Yeah.
So yes, I do think that'sprobably like an eight thing in
her, like I'm sure it is forother children, and other
(28:27):
children are like running whenyou know the first chance they
get.
So I definitely think there'spersonality that plays into it
for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (28:35):
Yeah.
But we always want to make surethat that's what's going on and
not something else.
So um we can do that assessmentof their body and make sure
there's nothing there that'simpacting things, and then just
say, like, okay, this is areally cautious kid.
We understand personality andtheir willingness to do that
trial and error and take risks.
So here's how we're gonna createa really supportive environment
(28:56):
for this baby to feel morecomfortable trying these things
that seem a little scary to themso that we can set them up for
success and they can, you know,start to learn some of those new
skills.
It just is helpful to have thatknowledge so that you know how
to set them up for success.
SPEAKER_00 (29:11):
Yeah.
No, I I like the way that yousaid that because I think even
just simple things that maybe aperson who's not educated in
this um as well as you are, aswell as I'm sure the other
people on your team are, likemay not know how to like
encourage their baby to dosomething that feels safe to
them rather than like, okay,well, I'm expecting you just to
(29:32):
pull yourself up now.
Like, why aren't you doing it?
Like, kind of teaching themthose like incremental maybe
movements in order to feel safeand secure in doing the next
step.
SPEAKER_01 (29:42):
Yeah.
We talk about like little minimilestones like that.
And then also there are so manythings that can be done
incrementally.
Like maybe all we're doing ischanging the height of the
surface that they're pulling upto stand at, and it shifts their
weight in a different way, makesthem feel more sturdy.
Or if we're trying to get themto use a pushwalker, if it's too
(30:04):
fast, that baby's not going tofeel safe pushing that
pushwalker.
What can we do to adjust thisactivity to make that baby feel
more stable?
You know, there's lots of thoselittle adjustments that we can
make to just create thatenvironment that's more
conducive to that specific childachieving that milestone.
SPEAKER_00 (30:21):
Yeah.
Well, I was hoping you couldshare with everyone like where
they can find you and connectwith you if they want to um seek
your services out.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (30:33):
We are on social media.
So our main platform isInstagram, because I'm an elder
millennial and that's about allI can put my effort into.
But we're at Progress ThroughPlay on Instagram.
And then our website again has alot of our online resources.
So we've created some coursesand a lot of blog posts and free
(30:55):
guides to fill in the gaps,maybe if families are wondering
about their babies movement.
And so our website isptpdunver.com.
And those are the two mainplaces you can find us.
SPEAKER_00 (31:09):
Yeah.
Well, I really appreciate youcoming on.
I think it's helpful to knowthat there's maybe other
resources and even ways to beproactive.
Cause I think at least a lot ofmoms that I know like waited
until their pediatrician waslike, you need to address this.
And it'll be it's a good to knowthat there's other resources out
there that you don't have towait until your pediatrician is
(31:30):
saying, like, no, this is likeabsolutely necessary to address.
So I really appreciate that whatyou're doing.
Thank you.
Well, thank you again, and yeah,bye.
Thank you for tuning in.
Into redefining us once againand share with other people so
other people can continue tolisten to redefining us, and we
(31:53):
can get into more listeners'ears if you follow us or
subscribe or leave a comment orreview.
That would be greatly helpfulfor other people to find us and
also just for me to get somefeedback.
What do you guys wanna hear mesay?
What do you women care abouthearing?
I'm totally open to bringing onguests and talking about topics
(32:15):
that are unique and inspiring toeveryone, so please let me know.
And this year hopefully be fullof a lot of community building,
a lot of public speaking, a lotof resource sharing.
So I really encourage you tofollow us on social media at
Wellminded Counseling onInstagram as our handle, as well
as going directly to ourwebsite, wellmindcounseling.com
(32:38):
backslash redefining us, so youcan be in the know with all the
things that are happening in theRedefining Us community.
Once again, thank you so muchfor listening and keeping
awesome.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.