Empower Therapy and Lactation

My name is Eliza Parsons. I am an occupational therapist, certified lactation counselor, and pregnancy and postpartum specialist at Empower Therapy and Lactation, a mobile outpatient clinic serving clients in their homes and communities throughout the East Central Mississippi area and virtually state-wide. My own journey into motherhood left me feeling like mothers deserved more during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. I felt rushed through the medical system during my first pregnancy, and went into my hospital birth with an intense fear of what was to come. Establishing successful breastfeeding was extremely difficult for my first son and I, and finding the right professionals to help proved challenging. I quickly found myself suffering both physically and mentally in his first years of life. And sadly, I wasn’t alone. Families all around me were going through the same things, with very few options to turn to for support. Thus, the vision for Empower Therapy and Lactation was born. At Empower Therapy and Lactation, we believe that providing parents and their little ones with holistic, individualized care is critical to overall health and well-being during this special time of rapid change and growth. The intricate hormonal interplay between mom and baby during pregnancy and the postpartum period not only fosters emotional bonding and breastfeeding success, but also supports the baby's intense neurological growth, as these shared hormonal cues help regulate stress, promote attachment, and create an environment optimal for cognitive, motor, and sensory development. Using an occupational therapy lens, mind-body techniques, and various treatment approaches, we support you and your child, no matter where you are on your journey, to feel good carrying out your day to day activities. After all, it is our 'occupations' (or the things we do everyday!) that form the foundation of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We provide comprehensive lactation support for mom and baby, tackling common breastfeeding problems, as well as complex infant feeding issues related to tongue ties and lip ties, including 'bodywork'- a very gentle hands on treatment, neurodevelopmental treatment, oral motor therapy, and sensory integration. Keeping nervous system regulation at the forefront of all interventions, we ensure that you and your baby feel safe and connected during these challenging times, honoring and preserving the breastfeeding relationship and mother-child bond. We offer maternal health and wellness intervention throughout pregnancy and motherhood, focusing on safely beginning or maintaining exercise, pelvic health, labor and birth prep, pain management techniques, rest and sleep, stress management, and lifestyle modifications to support an empowered transition into motherhood and implement simple and effective self care practices into your daily routine no matter where you are on your journey. We also offer pediatric occupational therapy services focusing on the whole child to improve function in their daily activities. By addressing nervous system regulation, primitive reflex integration, motor skills, and sensory processing, we aim to help your little one achieve optimal development, increase independence with self care skills, and enhance self-regulation needed to eat, sleep, play, grow, and learn. We offer feeding therapy for infants and children who have difficulty with introduction to solid foods as well as picky eating. Competitive private pay rates available. Accepting Medicaid, Magnolia Health Plan, Tricare East, and United Healthcare plans. Accepts HSA and FSA.