Question

An infant is born with a cleft palate. Which actions will promote oral intake until the defect can be repaired? Select all that apply.

1. Angle bottle up and toward cleft
2. Burping the infant often
3. Feeding in an upright position
4. Feeding slowly over 45 minutes or more
5. Using a specialty bottle or nipple

Answer 1

2. Burping the infant often

3. Feeding in an upright position

5. Using a specialty bottle or nipple

Step-by-step explanation:

Roof of the mouth is called palate. It forms between sixth and ninth weeks of pregnancy. In cleft palate the tissue forming the roof of the mouth does not completely join leading to a split or opening in the roof between the mouth and the nose. It is difficult to feed infants with cleft palate because they need to put more energy to create the suction to take in milk and the milk can also go into the nose area. Some methods to promote oral intake in an infant with cleft palate are:

• Use a specialized cleft palate bottle
• Feed the baby in upright position so that the milk does not flow back into the nose
• Burp the baby often because he or she will take in more air while feeding.