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

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11ecbb05_cc14_d350_b433_19869b134678_MD0009_00 A child with a cleft palate (CP) is at risk for aspiration and inadequate nutrition due to eating and feeding difficulties. This is due to the infant's inability to create suction and pull milk or formula from the nipple. Until CP can be repaired, the following feeding strategies increase oral intake and decrease aspiration risk: Hold the infant in an upright position, which promotes passage of formula into the stomach and decreases the risk of aspiration (Option C). Tilt the bottle so that the nipple is always filled with formula. Point down and away from the cleft. Use special bottles and nipples, including cross-cut and preemie nipples and assisted delivery bottles. These devices allow formula to flow more freely, decreasing the need for the infant to create suction. Using a squeezable bottle allows the caregiver to apply pressure in rhythm with the infant's own sucking and swallowing (Option E). These infants swallow large amounts of air during feeding and so need to be burped more often to avoid stomach distension and regurgitation (Option B). Feeding slowly over 20-30 minutes reduces the risk of aspiration and promotes adequate intake of formula. Feeding every 3-4 hours; more frequent feedings may be tiring for the infant and the mother. Some infants may need to be fed more frequently if they are not consuming adequate amounts of formula. (Option A) Bottle should be pointed down, away from the cleft, in order to prevent formula from flowing back into the nose area. This backflow would cause nasal regurgitation, and milk or formula may commonly escape through the nose. This is dangerous and the infant will sneeze or cough in order to clear the nose. (Option D) Feeding should take about 20-30 minutes. The infant may be working too hard and tire out if feeding takes 45 minutes or more. In addition, the extra work of feeding will burn up calories that are needed for growth. Educational objective: Children with cleft palates are at increased risk for inadequate intake as well as aspiration. Actions to promote intake and reduce aspiration risk include feeding in an upright position, pointing the nipple away from cleft, feeding over no more than 20-30 minutes, using special nipples or bottles, and feeding every 3-4 hours. The infant should be burped at regular intervals to reduce gastric distension.

An Infant Is Born with a Cleft Palate