Begin to Bloom OT
with Dr. Kelly Andrasik McLeod OTD, OTR/L, IBCLC
Information for Healthcare Professionals & Referring Providers
1. Our Services
Begin to Bloom OT provides specialized feeding therapy and lactation services for infants, toddlers, and young children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our practice combines occupational therapy expertise with specialized training in infant & pediatric feeding and lactation to provide individualized, evidence-based care for children with complex feeding needs.
Our services include:
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Comprehensive pediatric feeding evaluations to assess oral motor skills, swallowing, sensory processing, feeding development, and mealtime behaviors
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Individualized feeding therapy treatment sessions targeting oral motor coordination, chewing, latch, bottle feeding skills, sensory-based feeding challenges, and developmental feeding skills
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Feeding and swallowing therapy for children with dysphagia, suspected aspiration, and other medically complex feeding concerns
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Infant feeding therapy for premature infants, NICU graduates, and infants experiencing difficulty with bottle or breast feeding
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Lactation consultation to address breastfeeding, latch, milk transfer, bottle-feeding, and other infant feeding concerns
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Coordination of feeding and lactation care when both breastfeeding and developmental or swallowing concerns are present
Care is available through in-home visits in Redwood City, Palo Alto, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Woodside, Atherton, and surrounding Bay Area communities, as well as telehealth when clinically appropriate.
2. Who We Serve
Begin to Bloom works with infants, toddlers, and young children experiencing feeding, swallowing, and breastfeeding challenges, particularly children whose needs extend beyond routine feeding support.
Families may seek support for:
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Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding difficulties
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Bottle aversion
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Difficulty transitioning to solids or age-appropriate textures
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Oral motor delays or generalized oral motor incoordination
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Pediatric feeding disorder and sensory-based feeding challenges
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Oropharyngeal dysphagia
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Suspected or confirmed aspiration
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Difficulty coordinating suck-swallow-breathe
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Pacing, flow tolerance, or physiologic instability during feeds
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Poor weight gain related to feeding difficulties
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Feeding tube dependence or transition toward oral feeding
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Prematurity-related feeding delays
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High-risk infants transitioning home from the NICU
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Cardiorespiratory or neurologic conditions affecting feeding
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Cleft lip and/or palate
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Feeding challenges associated with developmental or medical complexity
We serve families throughout Redwood City, Palo Alto, the Peninsula, and surrounding Bay Area communities, providing individualized care that complements the child’s existing medical, developmental, and therapeutic team.
3. Why Refer to Begin to Bloom
Begin to Bloom offers specialized, low-volume, high-touch pediatric feeding care for families seeking a more individualized approach to complex feeding concerns.
Our clinical background includes extensive experience caring for infants and children with feeding and swallowing challenges in hospital and outpatient settings, including medically complex infants and children transitioning from the NICU to home.
Our private-pay model allows for:
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Longer, unrushed evaluation and treatment visits
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Flexible scheduling
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Individualized treatment planning
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Communication and support between visits
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Coordination with pediatricians, specialists, lactation professionals, rehabilitation colleagues, dietitians, and other members of the child’s care team
We provide referring providers with clear, actionable recommendations and clinical updates to support continuity of care.
4. Collaboration & Communication
Collaboration with the child’s medical and developmental team is an important part of our approach.
Following a comprehensive feeding evaluation, we identify functional feeding concerns, contributing factors, and individualized treatment priorities. Evaluation and treatment session notes are faxed to pediatricians and referring providers. We are willing and ready to collaborate with other professionals involved in the child’s care.
We welcome provider consultation and co-management when feeding concerns intersect with medical, nutritional, developmental, or lactation needs.
Our goal is to ensure that feeding therapy is integrated into the child’s broader plan of care, rather than treated as an isolated concern.
5. Outcomes & Value
Pediatric feeding therapy should address more than simply getting a child to eat. Treatment is designed around functional, measurable goals that may include improved oral motor skills, safer and more efficient feeding, increased tolerance of age-appropriate foods and textures, improved bottle or breastfeeding skills, and greater confidence for both child and family.
For medical professionals, referring to Begin to Bloom provides access to specialized pediatric feeding and lactation expertise for families in the Bay Area, with care designed to complement—not replace—the child’s existing medical and therapeutic support.