What sort of feeding problems would a baby have if they have a cleft palate?
They have difficulty creating a seal, so breast feeding proves to be difficult (but not impossible, but this depends on the cleft size etc). Milk also goes up their nose and this reduces their ability to feed. Most babies are feed using a rosti-bottle or a habberman feeder which is specially designed bottle for babies with a slow or reduced suck reflex. These babies do well and once the palate is repaired feed normally. They are also prone to hearing problems, ear infections, speech problems and dental problems. But everyone is different, they have to be individually assessed.
