Rob asks "What is tongue thrusting?"

I have seen this pattern in Down's babies...it is part of their congenital
pattern. The tongue, instead of having a nice peristaltic movement like it
should, pushes the breast (and anything else) out of the mouth. For trisomy
21, it is something inborn that has to be dealt with through PT/OT.

Now, here is where the problem lies: sometimes it occurs iatrogenically in
normal babies because of how they are fed. When preemies are "force fed"
with a red nipple, for instance. They are trying to protect their airways.
What results is a pattern that will not be conducive to breastfeeding.

I really wish we could get past seeing "all nipple feeds" as the marker of
when a baby is doing well and see normal oral motor patterns as the marker
of infant health.

Susan keith-Hergert RN, MS, CPN, IBCLC

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