My name is Kari Nolz and I am a junior nursing student at the University of 
North Dakota. While browsing through the site I noticed that questions 
concerning breastfeeding are something that comes up time and time again. 
One of the concerns that I am particularly interested in is children with cleft 
palates or lips and how they fair with breastfeeding. After reviewing some of 
the literature on the subject I found the following information:
            Children born with cleft lip or palate often experience poor feeding 
skills and many of these problems persist beyond the first year of life. It has 
also been observed that a child with a cleft palate may have more difficulties 
feeding than a child with a cleft lip (Reid, 2006). 
            A child with cleft lip or palate may experience difficulties such as poor 
suction, increased feeding time, excessive air intake, nasal regurgitation and 
also impaired weight gain due to malnutrition (Erkkila 2005).
            Initiation rate of breastfeeding an infant with a cleft lip or palate is 
high but it is thought that mothers might breastfeed for a longer duration if 
they received professional support after discharge (Garcez 2005). 
            My question is, are there any special considerations that need to be 
accounted for when educating a mother of a child with a cleft lip or palate on 
how to breast feed? I was also wondering if any of your institutions do any 
follow up with a mother feeding an infant with a cleft lip or palate after 
discharge?  Thank You, Kari Nolz
 

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