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Mom's Milk Matters
Breastfeeding a Baby With Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate By Gwen Morrison
"We strongly encourage mothers of babies with cleft palate who want to breastfeed to start pumping immediately," says Mackin. "They can provide their babies with breast milk through a special cleft palate bottle. We also encourage Mom to put the baby to her breast for the sense of closeness and suckling it provides."
Babies who are unable to breastfeed by latching on can still benefit from mother's milk through alternative methods. Moms should not feel guilty about not being able to breastfeed the traditional way.
"I pumped milk for nine months," says Kiku Trentlyon of New York City. "My daughter has a bilateral cleft lip and palate, and her first surgery was last December which repaired her lip, gum and nose. Her palate was repaired last July."
Trentlyon did extensive research prior to her daughter's birth, having been told of her baby's cleft lip and palate during her 5th month of pregnancy. "I spoke with some lactation consultants and learned just how hard it would be to try and breastfeed a baby with a bilateral cleft lip and palate," she says. "So I then educated myself on pumping milk as much as I could, and by the time she was born, I was ready!"
Though Trentlyon says it wasn't easy, she feels it was well worth the effort. Her daugher has always been very healthy and has had no ear infections – which is rare in the cleft community. "She is just the light of our lives," says Trentlyon. "Breastfeeding has always been an important subject for me, and I'm glad that I was able to provide breast milk for my baby girl."
Deborah Oliver, founder and director of Cleft Advocate, encourages moms to learn that there are many ways to provide breast milk to their baby. "We want mothers to know the alternative to traditional breastfeeding methods that will enable them to bond with their baby and provide the excellent nutrition breast milk offers," she says. "Having a child with a cleft can feel like a loss and be extremely overwhelming. Cleft Advocate offers education and support to families throughout the United States and around the globe."