These are all questions that every single parent in the world has asked themselves at one time or another. So as you can see feeding a cleft baby is really much like feeding a "normal" child. It just takes a little extra time and patience.

Here are the two most important things to remember:

1) Stay Relaxed - If you are tense, your baby will pick up on it and get tense and upset too.

• Length Of Time - Feedings can often take from 30 to 60 minutes each. It involves a great deal of the parent's time, but all the extra holding and cuddling give extra security and comfort to the baby.
• Smaller Amounts - This really ties in with number 1. Because the baby has more trouble sucking, they will tire more easily and take smaller amounts at feedings. This means more feedings. Another way to help this situation is to raise the caloric intake of the formula or breast milk by adding a scoop of powdered formula to each bottle.
• Finding A Position - Many parents have trouble finding a position that will work. A good one to try is with the baby sitting upright. Using an infant seat is a good idea, because the baby is upright and can still have eye contact with mom or dad.
• Formula From Nose - This is one of those things that is usually harder on the parents, than on the baby. Normally, it doesn't bother the baby at all, so just wipe the nose often and try not to let it bother you. (If you get upset, we're back to the fact that baby will too.)
• Bubbling - Cleft babies often need more burping because of all the air they swallow. It is best to burp them after every 1/2 ounce or ounce at the most.
• Temperature - Many cleft parents have found that their babies like their bottles, and even food later on, slighly warmer than normal. If this is your first, you probably have no idea of what normal is. Obviously you don't want it to be hot, just very warm. The old test still goes, if it burns the inside of your wrist, it will burn baby's mouth.
• Trying To Do It All - The frequency of feedings can become trying and exhausting to you. Do not think that you have to do everything yourself. Train others to help you feed your baby. Besides helping you, it will also help to ease their fears and misgivings. It will also help your baby prepare for his hospital stay, when he may have to accept a feeding from a nurse.

Nipples:
• Nuk shape works best.
• Use a premie or lamb's nipple, because they are softer.
• If these are not availabe boiling for long periods helps to soften normal nipples.
• Ask the hospital for the disposable nipples they use.
• Always use a cross cut nipple.
• A standard cross cut is not nearly large enough.
• You may be surprised at first by how large you actually have to cut the nipple open. Many new cleft parents err the wrong way and make the hole too small instead of too big.
• As the baby grows and especially after the surgery the cut can be reduced.
• Turn the nipple inside out to cut.
• Ask the hospital for a disposable scalpel for this or you can buy one at a medical supply store. Look for the name, Sterisharp.
• Experimentation is the key word here. It took my husband and I two days and 15 nipples to find the right cut when we brought Wes home.

This is a special feeding device that has a syringe with a catheter tip. The hospital will instruct you on how to use it. You may feel clumsy using it at first, but with practice you will become more competent. It takes time and patience to learn to master it at a competent rate.

A few hints from other parents include keeping several on hand incase one breaks and using a bigger syringe as the baby grows.

Nursing

Nursing a cleft baby is very difficult. You must be very, very commited to the idea inorder for it to even have a chance of working. However, in some cases it has worked successfully. You can still give your baby your breastmilk by buying or renting a good pump. This is a solution that we used. My husband would feed the baby while I pumped.