Feeding is a whole-body skill. It's time we treated it like one.
Functional Lactation is the approach developed by Dr. Emily Spaeth to help providers see the entire picture behind a feeding struggle: birth, body, and brain!
What is Functional Lactation?
Most feeding challenges don't live in just one discipline. A baby who struggles at the breast may be dealing with tension from birth, an immature suck pattern, delayed milestones, or difficulty with state regulation.
Functional lactation brings all of those pieces together so you can see the full picture, find the root cause, and know when and where to refer… so your patients never fall through the cracks.
The Functional Lactation Intensive with Dr. Emily teaches you how.
Join the waitlist
Who is this program for?
Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Lactation Consultants who put hands on babies and want to deepen their expertise in infant neuromotor development, breastfeeding, and state regulation.
Complex feeding cases fall through the gaps between our scopes.
You're good at what you do. The trouble is that a baby who won't stay latched might have a birth injury, a tight neck, an immature reflex, and an exhausted parent all at once. Each provider sees one slice, and families bounce from office to office.
This isn't a confidence problem. It's a knowledge gap, and it's one most of our training programs never filled. Functional Lactation fills it.
Why Join?
Elevate Your Confidence
Gain the skills and insights you need to handle complex feeding cases with ease.
Tailored Growth
Receive mentorship designed specifically for your professional goals.
Collaborative Learning
Be part of a cooperative mentorship model where everyone grows together.
Immediate Impact
Start applying what you learn right away in your practice.
How it works
Access an Expert Community
Comprehensive Support
Hands-On Feedback
Education Tailored to You
Community Calls Just for You
Dr. Emily Spaeth
Emily started her career in the NICU at OHSU Doernbecher, where she saw firsthand how much happens to a baby's body before feeding ever begins. As a physical therapist and lactation consultant, she kept finding herself working in the space between disciplines, so she gave that space a name: Functional Lactation.
Today she is the founder and CEO of Be Well Baby®, a multidisciplinary perinatal and infant practice in Portland, Oregon, and she teaches the next generation of clinicians in Pacific University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
- Creator of Functional Lactation and the Understanding Infants course for clinicians
- Instructor of Lactation OT courses including Bodywork For Better Breastfeeding
- Craniosacral therapy educator with advanced training under Carol Gray
- Host of The Be Well Baby Podcast
- Mentor to clinicians across the country
What Emily's teaching makes possible
From clinicians Emily has taught
"The organization, delivery, and demonstrations were all of exceptionally high quality and dramatically increased my confidence."
"Emily has a very warming presence that is very contagious. I love seeing her passion! I really appreciate the real world application!"
"Probably one of the best instructors I have ever had. Her passion for gentleness and knowledge shine through. She was very good at explaining complex techniques. Thank you!"
"It is clear that Dr. Emily is passionate about what she teaches."
"I loved the case examples, recorded lectures, and live demonstrations. I learned so much from the discussions about grounding practices and being aware of the energy you bring into a room. I am even applying that to non-patient facing parts of my life now!"
From families cared for by clinicians Emily trained
The clinicians on Emily's team at Be Well Baby practice this approach every day. This is what it looks like for the families they serve.
"Faith is life changing. We had a complicated feeding journey, she was the fourth lactation consultant we met with and the only one to properly identify and solve the challenges we had. I can't imagine where we would be without her. Keri also played a big role in our journey.
Everyone at Be Well Baby is unbelievably smart, empathetic and supportive. I'm so thankful we found them."
"Emily and her team are the literal best! I worked with Emily during pregnancy, and she helped me work through several issues and prepare for labor. She taught me that just because a pregnancy symptom may be "normal," it doesn't mean you just have to suffer through :)
Once my son was born, we worked with Emily and others on her team to manage breast feeding, a tongue tie, and torticollis. The experience, knowledge, and kindness of everyone we worked with made dealing with some very hard issues so much easier. I trust Emily implicitly and know I can always turn to her and BeWellBaby with anything we need as we navigate our son's infancy and any future pregnancies ♥️"
Next Cohort Begins January, 2027
"This is more than a program. It's a relationship that can last a lifetime. I'd be honored to walk this path with you."
Join the Waitlist
Enrollment opens December 2026. Join the waitlist to hear first when it does.
What You'll Learn
Start with a shared foundation, then learn to see the whole baby and the whole dyad in every complex feeding case.
Pre-workFour recorded lessons you watch on your own time before we meet.
Eight core modulesThe Functional Lactation framework, taught live to an expert cohort of like-minded clinicians.
Live case reviewsTwo additional group calls where you bring your own cases and we work through them together.
Pre-work: The Foundation
Recorded lessons to complete before the group begins, so everyone starts from the same place.
Infant Feeding Reflexes
Rooting, suck, swallow, and the reflexes behind every feed.
Postural Reflexes and Motor Foundations
Why breastfeeding is a baby's first motor milestone.
The First Latch: The First Hours
The first hour after birth, and how to support a delayed latch.
The First Latch: The First Days
Early cues, red flags, and why early pain is information.
The Eight Core Modules
Each module is taught through complex cases and builds on the one before it.
The Whole-Dyad Framework
Six lenses for every case, so you know what's missing first.
State, Regulation, and Self-Organization
Support regulation, then fade containment as the baby organizes.
Cues, Compensation, and Feeding Tolerance
Refusal is communication, and good gain can hide hard work.
Birth History and Its Imprint on Feeding
How birth shows up in the body, and trauma-informed history.
Cervical, Cranial, and Postural Contributions
Neck, head shape, nerves, and when to refer.
Oral Motor Function and Tongue Mobility
Function over appearance, and how release fits a team plan.
The Lactating Parent
Anatomy, supply, flow, pumping, and maternal nutrition. The parent is half the assessment.
Clinical Reasoning, Handoffs, and the Plan
Prioritize, refer with confidence, and talk to families without fear.
Good to know
Do I need to be an IBCLC to join?
No. The Intensive is designed for PTs, OTs, and IBCLCs. Each discipline brings a different strength, and the cohort is stronger because of the mix.
Will I earn continuing education credit?
An application for IBLCE CERPs has been submitted. We'll confirm credit details as soon as approval comes through.
What if I can't make a live session?
Every live module is recorded, and replays are available to the cohort.
Why is the cohort so small?
On purpose. Case-based learning works best when everyone gets airtime, and a small group means your cases actually get discussed and Dr. Emily gets to know how you practice.
Is there a payment plan?
Yes. You can pay $1,500 in full, which includes a private 1:1 with Dr. Emily, or choose three monthly payments of $550.