On behalf of Cathy Genna, who already posted 3 times today:

It depends more on where the cleft is than how large it is. If the cleft can
be occluded by the breast, the baby has a good chance of getting at least
some milk.

The other option for this baby is an obturator modified with an acryllic
bump at the back, where the soft palate should be. This allowed infants to
partially bf in one Japanese study. The babies pressed their posterior
tongues against the bump when making negative pressure in the mouth.
Normally the soft palate would come down to contact the tongue.

Kogo M, et al. Breast Feeding for Cleft Lip and Palate Patients, Using the
Hotz-Type Plate. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, July 1997;
34(4):351-353.

Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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