We recently connected with Tirsa Baker and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tirsa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
I have been a pediatric physical therapist in Arizona for 16 years. I love working with infants and children in their home setting and working alongside parents to provide the best care for their children. I worked in the Arizona early intervention system prior to 2020 and then the pandemic hit. All therapists were forced to provide telehealth services for an unknown time. I had parents constantly asking when I could come back to their homes to work one on one with their children. I knew I needed to do more for these children. It was then I decided to take a leap of faith and start Renewed Play Physical therapy. I saw a gap in the care that was being provided and wanted to fill that need. In order to qualify for early intervention services in Arizona, a child has to demonstrate a 50% delay in one area of development. Many parents have concerns well before their child would be 50% delayed. Knowing that in Arizona you can have direct access to physical therapy services without a doctors referral, I wanted to be available to help parents as soon as that concern started. I wanted to use my years of knowledge working with infants with high medical needs to help bring peace of mind to these parents. Most parents are told “wait and see” by their providers but we know that early help leads to better outcomes. I decided to leave the traditional model of healthcare so that I could be helping families faster and in their own timetable.
I started reflecting on my own journey through motherhood and being a new parent. Breastfeeding did not come easy to me with my own children. They both had tongue ties that caused feeding difficulty. Couple this with whole body tension and digestive issues and life as a mom became so much tougher. I decided I didnt’ want new parents to go through what I went through. This was the defining moment in my business. I decided to dive deep into learning how physical therapy could help parents in the early stages of infants with oral restrictions. I completed many courses and a tongue tie mentorship in order to develop my specialty. I also learned Crainosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) to help with whole body tension. Now I pair all my physical therapy knowledge with oral motor, manual therapy and developmental milestones to create a comprehensive approach to infant development.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I love helping others. Walking alongside parents as they bring a new baby into the world brings me joy. I have a passion for breastfeeding and work alongside many wonderful IBCLC’s in the valley. Parent’s often come to me with a concern that their baby doesn’t latch well, may have difficulty turning their head to one side, or overall body tension. I use my knowledge of tongue & lip ties and proper airway to assess how this may be impacting oral motor skills and overall development. I want parents to have a peaceful home without added stress in the first months of life. During my physical therapy evaluations and treatment, I will assess oral motor skills, oral resting posture, sleep, digestion, motor planning and age appropriate developmental skills. I am a very hands on therapist and love to teach parents how they can help their baby gain strength in the areas needed. I provide bodywork or manual therapy to help reduce overall tension so that the baby can feel more comfortable in their own body. This will help with overall development, sleep, feeding, and digestion. I belive that a collaborative approach is best and love working with other providers in the community so that each child gets the individualized care they need.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Absolutey! My only regret is not starting my own business earlier in my career. Being able to help parents on their own terms, without referrals, has been the best feeling. I have met so many amazing moms that have become great friends since starting my career. I love that as a physical therapist you can work in many settings. I am blessed to have found the area of physical therapy that I am most passionate about. I never dreamed I would be focused on tongue ties and lactation informed physical therapy but here I am and I absolutely love what I do! Being a new mom or dad is hard work and I love that I can be there for parents when they need.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Having a heart for others has helped me succeed in my field. I genuinely care about each family I work with. When I am with your child, they are the most important thing to me in that moment. I love that I can take my time one on one, in a family’s home, and truly help. I know that God has blessed me with this job and I don’t take it for granted. My job is to love and serve others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.renewedplay.com
- Instagram: @renewedplay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renewedplay