Feeding intervention in cleft lip and palate babies: a practical approach to feeding efficiency and weight gain
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.
Insights
Syringe feeding improved weight gain and reduced feeding issues in infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP). This modified method helps CLP babies achieve comparable growth to normal infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Craniofacial Anomalies
- Infant Feeding Methods
Background:
- Infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP) often face feeding challenges, impacting growth and development.
- Traditional feeding methods like cup-and-spoon may be inefficient and lead to complications such as spill and regurgitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a disposable syringe feeding method for infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP).
- To compare weight gain, feeding time, and incidence of spill and regurgitation between syringe-fed and cup-and-spoon-fed CLP infants.
- To compare outcomes with normal breast- or bottle-fed infants.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled study involving 57 infants with CLP, divided into syringe-fed (intervention) and cup-and-spoon-fed groups.
- Comparison group included 55 normal infants fed via breast or bottle.
- Weight gain was measured at 6, 10, and 14 weeks; feeding times and spill/regurgitation events were recorded.
Main Results:
- Syringe-fed CLP infants showed significantly better weight gain compared to cup-and-spoon-fed infants at 10 and 14 weeks.
- Feeding time was faster with the syringe method (10 ml/1.25 min) versus cup-and-spoon (10 ml/2.08 min) at 6 weeks.
- Spill and regurgitation were significantly reduced in syringe-fed CLP infants (79%) compared to cup-and-spoon-fed infants (100%) at 6 weeks.
Conclusions:
- Disposable syringe feeding is an effective modified method for infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP).
- This method leads to faster feeding, reduced spill and regurgitation, and comparable weight gain to normal infants by 10-14 weeks.
- Syringe feeding offers a viable alternative for improving nutritional outcomes in CLP infants.
Abstract:
Using a disposable syringe to feed 1-14-week-old babies with cleft lip and palate (CLP) was studied. 57 CLP babies were randomly divided into: syringe-fed (intervention) and cup-and-spoon-fed groups and compared with 55 normal breast- or bottle-fed babies. Differences in weight gained from birth to 6, 10 and 14 weeks were compared. Syringe-fed CLP babies fed breast milk had a significant difference in weight gain (0.7 and 0.8 kg) compared with cup-and-spoon-fed babies (0.4 kg), at 10 and 14 weeks, respectively. Normal breast-fed babies gained 0.6 and 0.7 kg. Cup-and-spoon-fed CLP babies fed artificial and breast milk gained 0.5 and 0.6 kg; syringe-fed CLP babies gained 0.6 and 1.2 kg. Normal babies gained 1.0 and 1.7 kg for the same age and food. Average feeding times were 10 ml/1.25 min for syringe-fed and 10 ml/2.08 min for cup-and-spoon-fed CLP babies at 6 weeks. 19 (100%) cup-and-spoon-fed babies exhibited spill and regurgitation at 6 weeks compared with 30 (79%) CLP syringe-fed babies (P<0.05). In both groups spill and regurgitation decreased with age. CLP babies fed with the modified method had a faster feeding time, less spill and regurgitation and gained the same weight as normal babies at 10 and 14 weeks.
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