Oral feeding in infants is a highly complex process involving multiple nerves and muscles working together to control the incoming liquid without choking or gagging (Marcus & Breton, 2022). The complex process also includes being able to coordinate the suck, swallow, and breathe all at once. If the infant does not have suck-swallow-breathing coordination, breathing is the primary focus, and feeding is no longer of interest and becomes a dangerous thing. If your baby is fussy, coughing, or gagging during bottle feedings, this can be a sign of a feeding problem (Fraker et al., 2007). The first step is to try one different formula, but if the new formula does not work, address the problem to your pediatrician.
Signs of poor suck-swallow-breathe coordination (Marcus & Breton, 2022):
Unable to breathe during a sucking burst
Pulls away from the nipple
Appears panicked or frightened
Loses liquids at the corners of the mouth
Has disorganized tongue movements
Shows signs of breathing distress
Uses short sucking bursts with frequent pauses
Refuses to eat after a few feeds
Tips to improve bottle feeds
Establish consistency with how you feed your infant
Read your infant cues, such as stop feeding when showing signs of distress
Provide lots of rest breaks throughout
Decrease the liquid flow (there are multiple bottle systems in the market that does this)
Feed infant in a side-lying position, helping them breathe easier
References
Fraker, C., Fishbein, M., Cox, S., Walbert, L. (2007, November 2). Food chaining: The proven
6-step plan to stop picky eating, solve feeding problems, and expand your child’s diet.
Hachette Books.
Marcus, S., & Breton, S. (Eds.). (2022). Infant and child feeding and swallowing: Occupational
therapy assessment and intervention (2nd ed.) AOTA Press.
コメント