Bridging Pediatric Sleep, Airway Health, Oral Function & Whole-Child Wellness
Meet Tiernee Midkiff, a Registered Dental Hygienist, Qualified Orofacial Myologist® (QOM®), pediatric sleep consultant, founder of The Lullaby Coach, and graduate of the International Parenting & Health Institute’s Holistic Children & Teen Sleep Coach Certification Program.
Tiernee brings together areas of health that are too often considered separately: sleep, breathing, oral function, airway development, nervous-system regulation, age-specific development, family dynamics, and overall child wellness.
Her professional philosophy is captured beautifully in the words she uses to describe her own work:
“Informed by Science. Guided by the Whole Child.”
It is an approach rooted not simply in helping a child sleep differently, but in asking a much broader question:
What may be contributing to this child’s sleep experience in the first place?
That question sits at the heart of Tiernee’s evolving work with children and families.
A 15+ Year Foundation in Healthcare
Long before expanding into pediatric sleep, Tiernee built an extensive professional foundation in oral health.
She holds an Associate in Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from York Technical College and has worked as a Registered Dental Hygienist for more than 15 years.
She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Winthrop University, broadening her education beyond direct clinical care into the larger healthcare landscape.
Over time, Tiernee’s professional interests became increasingly focused on the relationship between oral function, breathing, airway health, and overall wellness.
That progression eventually led her into orofacial myology.
Advanced Work in Orofacial Myology
For approximately three years, Tiernee has specialized as an Orofacial Myologist, and she has earned the designation of Qualified Orofacial Myologist® (QOM®).
Her work in this area includes attention to:
- oral function
- oral rest posture
- tongue thrust
- nasal breathing
- airway development
- tethered oral tissues
- sleep-related concerns
This background gives Tiernee an important perspective when working with sleep.
Sleep difficulties do not always exist independently of what is happening elsewhere in the body.
In fact, Tiernee explains on her own website that her experience in dental hygiene and later myofunctional therapy helped her recognize how breathing, oral development, and body function can influence sleep.
That realization became an important part of the professional direction she has taken today.
Looking Beyond Sleep as a Behavior
One of the most compelling aspects of Tiernee’s approach is her willingness to look beyond behavior alone.
On The Lullaby Coach website, she explains that sleep challenges may involve both behavioral and physiological factors and identifies breathing patterns, oral function, nervous-system regulation, development, routines, and habits as pieces of the larger picture.
This distinction matters.
A child’s sleep experience can exist within a much broader context involving physical health, development, emotional regulation, environment, family relationships, routines, and individual needs.
Tiernee’s background enables her to recognize when looking more deeply may be appropriate and when families may benefit from collaboration with other qualified healthcare professionals.
Her goal is not simply sleep.
It is helping families better understand the child behind the sleep challenge.
Expanding From Pediatric Sleep Into Childhood and Adolescence
Tiernee’s completion of IPHI’s Holistic Children & Teen Sleep Coach Certification Program represents an important expansion of that foundation.
Her previous work had already given her considerable experience at the intersection of breathing, oral function, airway health, and sleep.
Her holistic child and teen sleep education expands the lens further into the complex factors that can influence sleep as children develop.
The sleep needs and challenges of a toddler are not identical to those of a school-age child—and they can look dramatically different again during adolescence.
Developmental changes, circadian biology, emotional well-being, stress, school demands, family relationships, nutrition, physical activity, technology, environment, and nervous-system regulation can all become relevant pieces of the sleep picture.
For Tiernee, this creates an opportunity to connect her existing airway and oral-function knowledge with a broader understanding of the whole child and the whole family.
The Personal Story Behind The Lullaby Coach
Tiernee’s professional work is also informed by her experience as a mother of three.
Her website describes being an exhausted mother herself when her oldest child was young. When conventional advice did not feel aligned with her instincts, she began looking for another way to understand and support sleep.
Years later, her professional experience in dental hygiene and myofunctional therapy added another dimension.
She began seeing connections between breathing, oral development, physical function, and sleep.
Those personal and professional experiences ultimately converged.
Today, through The Lullaby Coach, Tiernee describes her work as providing gentle sleep support while considering the child’s age, temperament, sleep history, breathing, oral function, development, and family values.
A Vision for More Integrated Family Care
Tiernee’s long-term professional vision extends beyond her current practice.
She hopes to further bridge the worlds of dentistry, airway health, orofacial myology, and pediatric sleep, creating a more comprehensive continuum of support for families.
Her goal is also to become a resource for other professionals and healthcare providers around the importance of airway and sleep health.
It is a direction that reflects an increasingly important conversation within whole-person health:
Sometimes the symptom that brings a family through the door is only one piece of the story.
By developing expertise across complementary areas while respecting professional scope and appropriate referral, practitioners can become better equipped to recognize that larger picture.
For Tiernee, that picture includes how children breathe, function, regulate, develop, and sleep.
GRADUATE PROFILE
Tiernee Midkiff
Registered Dental Hygienist | Qualified Orofacial Myologist® (QOM®) | Pediatric Sleep Consultant
Founder: The Lullaby Coach
Education:
B.S., Health Care Administration — Winthrop University
A.A.S., Dental Hygiene — York Technical College
Professional Experience:
15+ Years as a Registered Dental Hygienist
Orofacial Myologist
Qualified Orofacial Myologist® (QOM®)
Pediatric Sleep Consultant
Areas of Focus:
Pediatric Sleep • Child & Teen Sleep • Orofacial Myology • Oral Function • Nasal Breathing • Airway Health • Tethered Oral Tissues • Nervous-System Regulation • Age-Specific Development • Whole-Child Wellness
IPHI Education:
Graduate, Holistic Children & Teen Sleep Coach Certification Program
Professional Philosophy:
Informed by Science. Guided by the Whole Child.
Website: The Lullaby Coach
Instagram: @the_lullaby_coach
Congratulations, Tiernee Midkiff!
The International Parenting & Health Institute is proud to recognize Tiernee Midkiff upon completing the Holistic Children & Teen Sleep Coach Certification Program.
Tiernee entered this field with an already impressive foundation spanning more than 15 years in dental hygiene, healthcare administration, orofacial myology, oral function, breathing, and airway health.
Her decision to expand that expertise into holistic sleep support for children and adolescents reflects the multidisciplinary thinking that is increasingly important when supporting today’s families.
We especially celebrate Tiernee’s commitment to looking beyond a presenting sleep challenge and considering the broader child—their development, physiology, nervous system, environment, family, and individual needs.
Congratulations, Tiernee. We are proud to have you as part of IPHI’s global graduate community and look forward to seeing your continued work bridging airway health, oral function, and holistic pediatric sleep.
