Final answer:
The nursing infant develops a powerful sucking muscle called the buccinator muscle, facilitating the sucking reflex for feeding.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nursing infant develops a powerful sucking muscle that adults also use for whistling or blowing a trumpet called the buccinator muscle. This muscle is responsible for the lateral movement of the cheeks, which is essential for activities such as sucking on a straw or compressing air in the mouth while blowing.
In infants, this muscle plays a crucial role in the sucking reflex, which allows them to extract milk from the mother's nipple. This reflex, along with others like the rooting reflex, is an important instinctive behavior that aids their survival.
The rooting reflex helps an infant find the nipple by turning the head towards anything that strokes their cheek. These reflexes are part of a positive feedback loop, where suckling stimulates milk production and delivery for the infant, ensuring that the baby's nutritional needs are met.