I have also experienced lots of frustration working with mothers of babies with cleft palate.

I usually give mothers all the information, support them as much as I can with acquiring a pump if they 
want that and then leave it up to them to make the important decisions. It usually does not take long
before other health care professionals involved start to take the moral high ground and tell them that it is time to quit,
very much along the lines of this information sheet. The mother is just not deemed capable of making her own decisions.

These babies can benefit so much from breast milk. Not only do they have surgery to go through, they are
at a very high risk of middle ear problems as well. Many of them have speech impediments
and accurate hearing is crucial to make the most of speech therapy. Many children with clefts also have language
delay. Considering how few of them breastfeed or get breast milk it is hardly surprising.

Loraine 
New Zealand

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