I don't understand the comment about "throwing out cleft-affected babies". Milk supply is the real issue. If baby can get adequate volume because mother has MORE than adequate supply, there is not an issue. Research has shown that suction IS an issue in supporting supply, especially if there is low supply to start with or supply fades because of failure to drain the breast to an adequate degree. An artificial baby may be necessary to keep supply above average so that baby gets enough at the breast and if mom is programmed high, it is possible for baby to get enough without supplementers. BUT you can't hide your head in the sand. I have seen this happen too many times where mother's supply is not protected in all sorts of situations. It's important to both be supportive and realistic, as has been discussed many times on lactnet. -----Original Message----- From: Lactation Information and Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 4:26 PM Subject: Re: Cleft lip/palate and feeding problems Oh, let's not throw every cleft-affected baby out with the bathwater! I agree there are a number of babies who cannot create suction, but depending on the size and/or position of the cleft, some babies manage very well! Some babies go for months not being able to nurse effectively, but suddenly figure it out around 3-4 months. Breastmilk is incredibly healing for these little guys. We have a number of cleft-affected babies around here (probably due to environmental contamination) and quite a few of the moms breastfeed/pump/breastmilk feed. When they are "sent out" for repair, the surgeons are always amazed at the quality of their oral tissues and how well the repairs go! I wish I could say, in deference to our dear Diane W - that the formula-fed cleft-affected sweeties have more difficulties, but the breastfed babies are so few and far between, the medical community really has nothing with which to compare. Best wishes, Sam Doak *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome