Once you see dysfunction, once you know it’s there, you can’t go back. That was the case for Vijaya Hunt, who learned about tongue tie from a parent perspective with her first child and made it her mission to learn more about how to support dyads with oral dysfunction. Vijaya’s oral function knowledge has shaped her family and even extended families lives. In this episode, Katie Oshita and Vijaya Hunt discuss oral function, paid leave, adult releases, and more. Listen here.

Podcast Guest: Vijaya Hunt is dedicated to supporting mothers and infants in achieving their feeding goals in Brisbane, Australia. She is a highly committed professional, a mother of two, and an experienced educator in infant feeding support. Her journey in lactation began early, becoming an IBCLC at the age of 18 — a reflection of her longstanding passion for helping families thrive through breastfeeding. Despite her qualifications in midwifery and lactation consulting, she encountered significant challenges when breastfeeding her first child. After consulting multiple specialists, it was the guidance of an IBCLC with expertise in oral dysfunction that finally enabled successful feeding. This experience, including four weeks of perseverance before achieving a full latch, profoundly shaped her clinical approach. With more than four years of firsthand insight into feeding difficulties, she is driven by a clear mission: to thoroughly assess and address the underlying causes of feeding challenges, providing evidence-based care with empathy and persistence for every family she serves.

Podcast Host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 25 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine. While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs. Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply. Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email katie@cuddlesandmilk.com or www.cuddlesandmilk.com