My daughter had corrective jaw surgery this past week, and we're in the
midst of a liquid diet, which means feeding via syringe with this long-ish
tube attached to direct down her throat.  I know, what has this to do with
breastfeeding?!  Well, maybe not directly breastfeeding but definitely
supplemental feeds.

First, I couldn't believe the person who "taught" the pre-operative class,
telling us to simply shoot the liquid into her mouth.  Clearly someone who
doesn't understand the process of coordinating swallow/breathe

After a couple of sessions of syringe feeding, I'm beginning to believe all
new parents or anyone else who's considering giving a bottle or using a
syringe to feed an infant should have this experience.  I nearly "drowned"
my adult daughter with 5cc of liquid.  When your mouth is nearly closed,
and you're not quite sure how to use your tongue (her mouth is banded
closed, very little ability to move the tongue in a normal manner), the
coordination of breathing is impaired.  Then I, as the commander of the
syringe, must observe my daughter for signs that she's ready for another
mouthful.  It's been very interesting watching her face, which is s/w numb
after surgery, having to rely more on her eyes and her ability to nod her
head (which babies cannot do) to tell me she's ready for more.  I'm
watching her have to pause, take a breath, kind of hold it, and prepare for
the next mouthful.  These syringes can be very tricky, all of a sudden
releasing and giving a larger than desired bolus!  Jessica's managing the
larger mouthful pretty well, able to avoid choking. Imagine a poor babe!
And what if she was lying on her back?!

Thank you Diane Wiessinger for teaching me to be aware of my experiences!
And seriously, I'm thinking this might be helpful hands-on experience for
teaching.

Mary Wagner-Davis, MS, MFT, IBCLC
Roseville, CA

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