----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kershaw Jane" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 3:38 PM
Subject: Re: [LACTNET] checking a babies suck right after birth


This is done to make sure there is not a cleft of the soft palate.
Standard part of routine newborn exam.  IT is not a suck assessment in
the terms that lactation consultants use.  I was referred a baby the
other day that was never assessed, came for consult - and there it was!

**Well, that, of course, is funny... don't know how old the baby was...? How 
many signals of ineffective feeding were visible?
Nevertheless, I think routinely assessing for cleft palates is not a good 
way to go about it. The risk of disturbing (healthy) things is bigger than 
the risk of missing it in the first hour. If there is a cleft palate, many 
things will probably soon show itself and then at least the breast was the 
first thing in the baby's mouth. Thourough observation of the baby s2s is 
necessary anyway, so I presume the risk of aspiration wouldn't be that big 
and colostrum won't do harm in the nasopharyngeal area.

Regards,

Marianne Vanderveen,
Netherlands

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