Hi Jean

The one thing I try hard to establish in disorganized babies is sucking. 
I have found that in babies with cleft palate where they are unable to attach to the breast 
they become increasingly frantic and distressed without sucking even if colostrum is given, 
they are also then at risk of getting a formula feed to settle them.
 

I have had some good success with fingersucking while giving only drops of colostrum i.e. mimicking
what would happen at the breasts during first feeds. Tiny amounts of colostrum, but  extending the period
of sucking for as long as the baby wants to suck, i.e. periods that would mimic the length of first feeds.

Once the babies get sucking they will be happy with drops of colostrum administered via syringe
here and there, but the sucking is what really soothes and settles them. 

The sucking is important for state regulation and with sucking the baby can go from fully awake and 
distressed to alert to dozy to deeper sleep and thus become more organized.  A crying baby becomes
 increasingly disorganized and therefore unable to change state from awake to asleep.
Unsure whether this will be useful for your medicated babies, how frustrating for you, but how fortunate
that you are there. 

Greetings from New Zealand.
Loraine Hamm
Speech Language Therapist, IBCLC 

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