Breastfeeding a Baby With Disabilities

If your baby is born with a disability, whether it's a developmental or physical issue, he still will benefit from breast milk. Breastfeeding a baby with disabilities requires patience, extra time and sometimes modifications in positioning, but you can, in most cases, still nurse your baby. A lactation consultant can help you work through problems and can also put you in touch with support groups of other parents dealing with the same issues.

Oral Malformations

If your baby has a cleft lip, palate or other oral malformation, breastfeeding can present a challenge. It's usually possible to breastfeed with just a cleft lip, although you might have to adjust your baby's position, depending on how extensive the cleft is. Nursing with a cleft palate poses more problems. The cleft makes it difficult to create the suction needed for breastfeeding. If the cleft is located at the back of the palate and isn't too large, breastfeeding might be possible, but you may need to supplement with bottles for your baby to get the nutrition he needs. Limit nursing sessions to no more than 10 minutes to avoid tiring your baby, Children's Hospital St. Louis advises. A good-quality pump can help you keep your milk supply up until after your baby's surgery, when the odds of successful breastfeeding increase.

Cardiac Defects

Breastfeeding makes feeding simpler for your baby than bottle feeding, which requires more effort to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing, according to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Babies with congenital heart defects who breastfeed gain weight better than bottle-fed babies and have the added benefit of antibodies that help them fight infection. If your baby has a severe defect that needs immediate surgery, pumping will help keep your supply going and also provide milk for tube feeding until your baby is strong enough to nurse.

Developmental Disabilities

Developmental problems such as Down syndrome can cause your baby to breastfeed slowly and inefficiently. Many infants with developmental disabilities have low muscle tone and are often lethargic and also have trouble coordinating the suck-swallow-breathe reflex. Your baby might choke easily when feeding or not suck hard enough to get enough calories. Holding your baby in the dancer hold position can support his jaw and help him feed more efficiently. If feeding from the left breast, support his body with your right arm and cup his head in your right hand. Use the left hand to support your breast with three fingers, and use the index finger and thumb to support his lower jaw.

Preemies

A baby born five weeks or more before his due date often doesn't feed well, or at all, by mouth for several weeks. Getting your baby to nurse after a prolonged hospitalization will require frequent pumping to keep your milk supply up until he's able to coordinate his suck-swallow-breathe reflex. Many preemies also have low muscle tone and can benefit from positioning techniques such as the dancer hold position. Because your baby may tire easily, you may have to supplement breastfeeding with tube feedings until he's strong enough to suck well.