As an Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of experience—and more than a decade dedicated to neonatal care—I’ve devoted my work to understanding how early experiences shape feeding, regulation, and connection in our most vulnerable infants.

Over time, it became clear that our field needed more than evidence—it needed direction. Despite the abundance of research, there was no unified voice guiding how to apply prefeeding practices in a developmentally meaningful way. Clinicians were left without the structure to integrate sensory, motor, and affective strategies into a cohesive plan that supports each infant’s readiness journey.

The Prefeeding Pathways™ framework was created to fill that gap. It brings together the science of development with the art of responsive, purposeful care—offering clinicians a roadmap to design intentional treatment plans that build readiness step by step across the full continuum of care.

I teamed up with Aleksandra Popkowska-Gutierrez, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT, IBCLC, and Kristin M Laurino, PT, DPT, CPST, CNT, NTMTC, when creating the Prefeeding Pathway™ to ensure a well-rounded clinical perspective and highlight the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration.

At its heart, Prefeeding Pathways™ is about creating purposeful experiences that nurture readiness—empowering therapists, nurses, and families to help every infant move toward safe, confident, and joyful feeding.