You're Often the First Trusted Voice
Doulas and midwives hold a unique place in a family's early journey. You're there in the tender, exhausting first days. You're trusted in a way few providers are. And you're frequently the first person a struggling parent turns to when feeding isn't working and they don't know why.
That position carries real influence and real responsibility. You're not diagnosing or treating oral ties, but you can recognize signs, ask good questions, support families emotionally, and guide them toward the right help at the right time. Done well, that support changes outcomes.
At Latched Beginnings in Austin, Dr. Kacie Culotta deeply values the role doulas and midwives play, and works collaboratively with birth professionals. This guide is about how to support families through oral-tie care within your scope.
What to Watch For Within Your Scope
You're with families during feeds and quiet moments, which gives you a window into how feeding is really going. Without diagnosing, you can notice patterns worth flagging: persistent painful feeding, a baby who can't seem to latch or stay on, clicking sounds, milk leaking, very long or constant feeds, a baby who seems unsatisfied, and a parent who is increasingly distressed.
Noticing these patterns and gently naming them, while making clear you're not diagnosing, helps families realize their struggle has a possible cause worth exploring. Often the most valuable thing you offer is simply taking their concern seriously when others have brushed it off.
How to Guide Without Overstepping
The art here is supporting without diagnosing or pushing. A few principles help you stay in your lane while genuinely helping. Validate the parent's experience and instincts rather than dismissing or alarming them. Share information about feeding support and evaluation as options, not directives. Encourage them to work with an IBCLC and, if needed, a feeding-focused provider. And always respect that the decision belongs to the family and their clinical team.
You can be a powerful guide precisely because you're not pushing an agenda. Families trust your steadiness. Use it to point them toward thorough evaluation and good support, not toward a predetermined conclusion.
Supporting the Emotional Side
Feeding struggles take a heavy emotional toll, and this is where doulas and midwives often shine. The guilt, the exhaustion, the feeling of failure, you're positioned to meet families in those moments with reassurance and perspective.
Remind parents that feeding difficulties are common and often have physical causes outside their control. Help them see that getting their baby fed, by whatever means, is good parenting, not failure. Normalize seeking help. And watch for signs that a parent may need more support, including perinatal mood concerns, so you can gently encourage them toward appropriate resources. The emotional support you provide is real care.
When and How to Encourage Evaluation
Timing matters. Encourage families to seek lactation support early when feeding isn't working, rather than waiting until they're at a breaking point. If feeding problems persist despite good lactation support, that's a natural moment to mention that an oral-tie evaluation is an option worth considering.
When you do guide a family toward evaluation, point them to a provider who is conservative, thorough, and collaborative, one who will watch a feed, evaluate carefully, and be honest about whether a release is needed. Framing it as an evaluation rather than a foregone treatment keeps expectations healthy and reduces anxiety.
Building Your Own Referral Relationships
The families you serve benefit when you have trusted relationships across the feeding care network. Knowing local IBCLCs, bodyworkers, and a conservative releasing provider means you can connect families confidently rather than sending them into the unknown.
Take the time to learn how the providers in your area practice. Meet them, understand their philosophy, and build the kind of two-way relationships that let you advocate for your families. In a community like Austin, those relationships are part of the value you offer.
Partnering With Latched Beginnings in Austin
Latched Beginnings welcomes collaboration with doulas and midwives across the Austin area. Dr. Kacie Culotta, DDS holds both a laser certification for tongue-tie releases and a lactation counselor certification, and she shares the family-centered, trust-first values that guide birth professionals.
Her approach is conservative and collaborative. She watches a feed, evaluates thoroughly, communicates with the family's care team, and is honest about whether a release is warranted. She respects the relationship you have with your families and aims to support, never override, the guidance you provide.
If you're a doula or midwife looking for a trustworthy oral-tie evaluation partner for the families you serve, we'd love to connect. Reach out to learn how we work with birth professionals and to request referral information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role do doulas and midwives play in oral tie care?
Doulas and midwives are often the first trusted voice a struggling family turns to. While they don't diagnose or treat oral ties, they can recognize signs, ask good questions, provide emotional support, and guide families toward lactation support and evaluation at the right time. Their influence in the early days is significant.
What feeding signs should doulas and midwives watch for?
Within their scope, they can notice persistent painful feeding, a baby who can't latch or stay on, clicking sounds, milk leaking, very long or constant feeds, a baby who seems unsatisfied, and rising parental distress. Gently naming these patterns, without diagnosing, helps families realize their struggle may have a cause worth exploring.
How can a doula or midwife support families without overstepping?
Validate the parent's experience and instincts, share information about support and evaluation as options rather than directives, encourage working with an IBCLC and a feeding-focused provider when needed, and respect that decisions belong to the family and their clinical team. Steady, non-pushing guidance is precisely what makes their support trustworthy.
When should a doula or midwife suggest an oral tie evaluation?
Encourage early lactation support when feeding isn't working. If feeding problems persist despite good lactation support, that's a natural moment to mention an oral-tie evaluation as an option worth considering. Framing it as an evaluation rather than a foregone treatment keeps expectations healthy and reduces family anxiety.
How can birth professionals support the emotional side of feeding struggles?
Remind parents that feeding difficulties are common and often have physical causes outside their control, affirm that getting their baby fed by any means is good parenting, normalize seeking help, and watch for perinatal mood concerns that warrant additional support. This emotional care is genuinely valuable, not secondary.
Should doulas and midwives diagnose tongue-tie?
No. Diagnosing and treating oral ties is outside the doula and midwife scope. Their role is to recognize signs, support families emotionally, and guide them toward appropriate evaluation and care. Staying within scope while advocating for families is exactly what makes their support trusted and effective.
How do I choose a releasing provider to refer families to?
Choose a provider who is conservative, thorough, and collaborative, one who watches a feed, evaluates all three potential restriction sites, communicates with the care team, and is honest about whether a release is needed. Building a relationship with such a provider lets you connect families confidently rather than sending them into the unknown.
How can doulas and midwives partner with Latched Beginnings in Austin?
Latched Beginnings at 1701 Simond Ave, Suite 107A in Austin welcomes collaboration with doulas and midwives. Dr. Kacie Culotta shares family-centered, conservative values, communicates with care teams, and respects the relationships birth professionals have with their families. Reach out for referral information and to connect across the greater Austin area.
Call to Action
If you work with infants and families in the Austin area, Latched Beginnings would love to be part of your referral team. Dr. Kacie Culotta collaborates closely with IBCLCs, pediatricians, chiropractors, midwives, and doulas to give shared patients the best possible outcomes. Reach out to start a conversation, request referral forms, or learn more about provider coaching. Let's build healthier beginnings together.
