Hi Marie, My understanding is the practice of giving some H2O to check for TEF went out many many years ago. You will  note below that the condition does not occur frequently, is often obvious at birth, and then again, might go undetected for months. Giving a sip or a few sips of water might not even provide a definitive symptom profile. I suggest a better option would be to educate delivery room and neonatal staff about the condition, signs and symptoms, etc and to have a trained person in the room or nearby as a baby is having his first feeding. (could be an LC, a labor nurse or doula, a nsy nurse, or the parents themselves can call for help if any untoward symptoms present. I think it behooves all of us providers and parents to observe the baby's adaptation to life on the outside: breathing, color, feeding, etc. First do no harm. Good luck presenting this argument.



 From Childrens Hospital Boston website.



About 1 in 3000 to 5000 babies in USA have TE fistula.



Babies who have TEF only usually have mild coughing or respiratory symptoms when they are feeding. Since many conditions can cause these symptoms, it may take doctors some time to diagnose TEF. Children who have TEF without EA usually have no noticeable symptoms at birth. Doctors usually find TEF several weeks or months after the baby is born. Signs include:



 *   Coughing frequently while feeding

 *   Frequent lung infections



Other sites indicate that TEF can be noted at birth with frothy mucus and breathing issues.









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