How to Breast-Feed a Baby With a Cleft Palate

A baby born with a cleft lip or palate may have trouble breastfeeding, but it's worth persevering and will help your baby if he will need surgery.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Electric Breast Pumps
• Nursing Pillows

1. Try to nurse your baby as soon as possible after his birth; this will begin the bonding process as well as alert you to problems.
2. Hold your nipple and areola inside your baby's mouth by supporting your breast with your hand; this may allow your baby to "milk" the breast with gums and tongue even if he is unable to get proper suction.
3. Experiment with different nursing positions; you may find that holding your baby or supporting your breast in a particular way will help him to latch on properly.
4. Burp your baby often during and after nursing; he may swallow more air while eating than other babies.
5. If your baby will not nurse long enough to reach your hindmilk or if he is gaining poorly, express your milk with a breast pump after each nursing and supplement him with it.
6. Tell your baby's surgeon that you are breastfeeding if the surgeon suggests the use of a palatal obdurator. This will ensure that the appliance is made with a smooth surface to avoid breast irritation.
7. Be patient while you encourage your baby to nurse with this appliance in place; it may take a while.
8. Contact your local La Leche League, a lactation consultant, or another breastfeeding support group for help and advice.

Tips & Warnings

• Breastfeeding will help your baby begin to develop correct muscle formation in the face and will not irritate mucous membranes that may be exposed by a cleft palate, so it's worth working on!
• Babies with cleft palates gain weight relatively slowly whether they are breastfed or bottle-fed, so don't assume that your milk supply is inadequate. Just keep track of wet and dirty diapers, and watch for signs of dehydration.
• If you are supplementing your baby with expressed breast milk or formula, consider syringe or cup-feeding; these methods do not depend on suction for success, so may be easier for your baby.
• Cleft palate repair is usually scheduled after a baby's first birthday; if he is still nursing, it may be painful for him immediately after the surgery, but will quickly become a good source of comfort again as well as help him to heal quickly.
• Don't grip your breast too tightly while you are supporting it to nurse ' this can lead to plugged ducts.
• Your baby may take two or three times longer to feed than other babies; nurse for as long as your baby needs to, and try to rest while you are nursing.
• After surgery to repair a cleft lip, you will need to be careful of your baby's stitches while nursing. Still, nursing is safer than bottle-feeding in this situation, because the nipple is softer than a bottle nipple.