I  have a client who just found out her baby has a cleft of the soft palate.
Bb is 9 days old. Baby is only a couple of ounces down from birth weight.
She says bb nursed well for 2 to 3 days, but is now constantly sleepy, can
not stay on the breast, and gags frequently. Hospital tried to give a
bottle, bb did not do well at the bottle, so he did not receive one since. I
gave her all the techniques and infos about nursing a bb with a cleft
palate, but it all seems to come down to the fact that this bb would suck
better if the cleft was repared. Doctor says if it is not life threathning,
he will not operate before 1 year old. He recommends bottle feeding even
though it is not going well. Bb is now fed at the breast with the dancer
hand position and a supplementing device. Mother pumps to keep up
production. Can anyone tell me what the protocol is for surgery of a cleft
soft palate? Or if you have any comments, I sure could use some help
Dany Gauthier IBCLC
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Tel: 514-923-3792
Fax:514-923-3802