Postpartum
Jul 12, 2025
What your baby’s feeding tells us about you
Why we watch feeding patterns to protect both sides of the story
Dr. Iliana Shein
Feeding isn’t just about calories. It’s communication.
When your baby latches—or doesn’t—there’s a message behind it. And at Phia, we’ve learned that baby feeding struggles are often the first signs that a mother needs help.
We asked our clinical team—IBCLCs, nurses, and infant therapists—what feeding tells us about maternal recovery, and why it’s often the earliest signal that something’s off.
Feeding is the mirror.
Sometimes the baby refuses one side. Or feeds frantically, like they’re panicked. Or falls asleep too fast, too often.
To most parents, it looks like “a baby problem.”
But to us, it can mean:
Pelvic floor tension or surgical pain (when mom’s body position is altered)
Postpartum anxiety (hypervigilance, feeding aversion)
Oversupply from hormonal shifts
Low milk due to undernutrition or stress
Birth trauma (C-section, NICU separation)
Silent mood disorders (especially when mom says “I’m fine” but reports a rigid feeding schedule or extreme guilt)
Feeding is a dyad. When something is off with one, it’s almost always a two-sided issue.
What we watch for:
Here are just a few baby behaviors that flag deeper support needs:
Always feeding on one side: Can point to torticollis (baby) or pain (mom)
Constant latching/unlatching: Suggests fast letdown, oversupply, or stress
Falling asleep after 2 minutes: Might be ineffective suck or maternal low milk
Gagging, clicking, leaking: Could be oral motor dysfunction—needs OT or SLP
Weight gain stalls: Often blamed on “bad supply” but usually needs full dyad assessment
We don’t just send another PDF. We escalate—quickly.
What happens inside Phia when we see feeding issues
Lactation (IBCLC) checks latch, supply, feeding position, and maternal experience
If it’s motor-related, we loop in OT or SLP to assess baby’s tone, suck, and oral coordination
If there’s maternal pain, stress, or low intake, we escalate to RN, dietitian, or therapist
If needed, we refer to pediatric or psychiatric support for further eval
All of this happens in one system. Because this isn’t about isolated feeding—it’s about function.
When your baby eats better, so do you.
We’ve seen it again and again:
Baby starts feeding calmly → mom’s milk increases → mom sleeps more
Baby gains weight → mom stops blaming herself → mood lifts
Baby switches sides → mom realizes her pain is real → PT starts
Baby feeds safely → ER visit averted
This is what integrated care looks like: one symptom, full-body response.
Final note from the team:
At Phia, we treat feeding as a system—not just a latch problem. Your baby’s patterns tell us how you’re doing. And your body, your stress, your recovery all shape how your baby feeds. That’s why we built a team around the whole story.
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Mom's the word
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Mom's the word
From day one, we’ve designed our platform with the highest security standards and rigorous privacy practices, guided by engineers with deep expertise from leading digital health companies. Their knowledge of building securely in regulated industries is woven into everything we create.
Mom's the word
From day one, we’ve designed our platform with the highest security standards and rigorous privacy practices, guided by engineers with deep expertise from leading digital health companies. Their knowledge of building securely in regulated industries is woven into everything we create.
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What your baby’s feeding tells us about you
What your baby’s feeding tells us about you
Why we watch feeding patterns to protect both sides of the story
Why we watch feeding patterns to protect both sides of the story
Why we watch feeding patterns to protect both sides of the story
Dr. Iliana Shein
Published in Fintech
Postpartum
Image credit by Yum Yum
Feeding isn’t just about calories. It’s communication.
When your baby latches—or doesn’t—there’s a message behind it. And at Phia, we’ve learned that baby feeding struggles are often the first signs that a mother needs help.
We asked our clinical team—IBCLCs, nurses, and infant therapists—what feeding tells us about maternal recovery, and why it’s often the earliest signal that something’s off.
Feeding is the mirror.
Sometimes the baby refuses one side. Or feeds frantically, like they’re panicked. Or falls asleep too fast, too often.
To most parents, it looks like “a baby problem.”
But to us, it can mean:
Pelvic floor tension or surgical pain (when mom’s body position is altered)
Postpartum anxiety (hypervigilance, feeding aversion)
Oversupply from hormonal shifts
Low milk due to undernutrition or stress
Birth trauma (C-section, NICU separation)
Silent mood disorders (especially when mom says “I’m fine” but reports a rigid feeding schedule or extreme guilt)
Feeding is a dyad. When something is off with one, it’s almost always a two-sided issue.
What we watch for:
Here are just a few baby behaviors that flag deeper support needs:
Always feeding on one side: Can point to torticollis (baby) or pain (mom)
Constant latching/unlatching: Suggests fast letdown, oversupply, or stress
Falling asleep after 2 minutes: Might be ineffective suck or maternal low milk
Gagging, clicking, leaking: Could be oral motor dysfunction—needs OT or SLP
Weight gain stalls: Often blamed on “bad supply” but usually needs full dyad assessment
We don’t just send another PDF. We escalate—quickly.
What happens inside Phia when we see feeding issues
Lactation (IBCLC) checks latch, supply, feeding position, and maternal experience
If it’s motor-related, we loop in OT or SLP to assess baby’s tone, suck, and oral coordination
If there’s maternal pain, stress, or low intake, we escalate to RN, dietitian, or therapist
If needed, we refer to pediatric or psychiatric support for further eval
All of this happens in one system. Because this isn’t about isolated feeding—it’s about function.
When your baby eats better, so do you.
We’ve seen it again and again:
Baby starts feeding calmly → mom’s milk increases → mom sleeps more
Baby gains weight → mom stops blaming herself → mood lifts
Baby switches sides → mom realizes her pain is real → PT starts
Baby feeds safely → ER visit averted
This is what integrated care looks like: one symptom, full-body response.
Final note from the team:
At Phia, we treat feeding as a system—not just a latch problem. Your baby’s patterns tell us how you’re doing. And your body, your stress, your recovery all shape how your baby feeds. That’s why we built a team around the whole story.