Six weeks. Eight weeks. That's when so many of us are back at work, pumping in a bathroom or a shuttle bus or wherever we can grab a few minutes. Nobody tells you that stretch, the schedule, the container time, how much of a village you actually have, is quietly shaping how your baby moves and grows too.
This is part two of the conversation I started with my mom about how infant milestones have shifted across generations. Last time, what changed. This time, I sat down with Carly Clearwater, a pediatric occupational therapist and lactation consultant who works with infants and their families, and the founder of ClearPath OT in New Jersey, to get into why.
We talk about what going back to work that early actually does to breastfeeding, and why the "convenience" products on the shelf exist because families genuinely need them, not because anyone's doing something wrong.
We get into how social media can take one rare, scary video and make it feel like something about to happen to your own baby, and why the "village" we're missing isn't really about who lives nearby anymore.
And we talk about something I think about constantly in my own practice: how one small, early thing, like a baby who hates tummy time because of reflux, can quietly snowball if nobody catches it early. Carly walks through what early intervention actually is, why you can usually self-refer for a free evaluation, and how to spot a typical hard stretch versus something worth a closer look.
If part one left you finally able to stop second guessing your gut, I think this one does the same thing, just from the why behind it.
More about Carly:
Carly Clearwater, OTR/L, IBCLC is a pediatric occupational therapist and international board certified lactation consultant, in addition to her role as a mom of two toddlers. She's passionate about helping parents confidently support their babies through all their daily occupations (eat, sleep, poop, and play) to build a strong foundation for continued development.
🌐 Website: clearpathotservices.com
📸 Instagram: @clear.path.ot
Resources mentioned in this episode:
🍼 Free baby containers guide: idyllic-hat-942.myflodesk.com/baby-containers-guide
🔎 Early intervention contact info by state (CDC):cdc.gov/act-early/early-intervention/contact-information-by-state
Connect with me: 💛
🌐 Website: milestonesandmotherhood.com
📸 Instagram: @milestones.and.motherhood and @more.than.milestones
✍️ Substack: https://substack.com/@morethanmilestones
🍼 Tummy Time Masterclass: https://milestonesandmotherhood.com/tummy-time
🛍️ Amazon storefront: https://a.co/d/03ucPZbo
✉️ For sponsorship or guest inquiries: podcast@milestonesandmotherhood.com
If this one helped make sense of the shift you've been feeling, follow the show and leave a rating or review. It genuinely helps more parents find these conversations.
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Meet Carly Clearwater, pediatric OT and lactation consultant (part two of the generations conversation)
01:31 – Are babies actually different, or is the environment different?
02:57 – Why this isn't about blaming parents
05:56 – The four building blocks of infant development: eat, sleep, poop, play
07:21 – Why development is all connected (the reflux → tummy time snowball)
09:19 – Going back to work at six and eight weeks postpartum
12:16 – How early return to work affects breastfeeding
15:40 – Container use, busier schedules, and losing the line of moderation
16:54 – Social media, misinformation, and the "age of parenting anxiety"
19:11 – Baby wearing as a modern compromise (and its own misinformation problem)
20:49 – The lack of village and what "community" really means now
26:13 – What's missing without generational modeling
29:02 – The difference between a delay and atypical development
33:10 – Why preventative care beats reactive care
34:55 – A real example of how one missed early step snowballs
37:24 – How to self-refer to early intervention (and why it's often free)
39:05 – The lactation visit most insurance covers that almost no one uses
41:46 – What parents can actually do: real, practical solutions
43:51 – Yellow flags vs. red flags
44:45 – Normalizing floor time and tummy time today
