The objective of this article was to determine the impact of different bottles and teats for feeding babies with a cleft palate (with and without a cleft lip) on weight velocity, feeding behaviour, and maternal self-esteem. A mixed methods study incorporating the use of diaries to record feeding patterns of babies and levels of professional support received was used. Growth was assessed by converting weights into standard deviation scores and using the differences to express weight velocity over a six-week period. Visual analogue scales were used to assess mothers' perceptions of their children and themselves. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS) was used to identify maternal depression. The study demonstrated that the most significant effect on weight was determined by cleft type. Babies with isolated clefts of the hard and soft palate experienced greater feeding problems and suffered the biggest weight losses. This remained significant independently of the type of bottle/teat used. Poor weight gain was also associated with a mother's low perception of herself and her child, and her tendency towards depression. The study highlights the importance of the early assessment of babies' feeding skills and regular follow-up and support from trained and experienced nurse specialists.
The first child diagnosed with a cleft prenatally in a the Nottingham Cleft Lip and Palate Unit, was aborted after another parent had given misleading information. Concern over this incident led to a protocol of care being developed at the unit followed by an evaluation of expectant parents' responses to this protocol. Ten parents were interviewed as part of a study. The aim of this research was to assess whether the information and support given to families was appropriate and helpful; explore parent's feelings about their pregnancy and their child and identify ways of further developing support for these parents. From an analysis of parents comments the study found that in cases of cleft lip and palate, what parent wanted most was: an accurate diagnosis; prompt referral to a cleft team; support from a named clinical nurse specialist; pictures relevant to their child's diagnosis to show family and friends; and a meeting with professionals to plan the care of their child.
Almost 1,000 babies are born each year with some form of cleft, whether it is a palate, lip or a combination. However, with the advent of new regional cleft centres and specialist professionals caring for larger numbers of children with a cleft lip and palate, the long-term outcomes of these patients should show improvement. The nursing care on paediatric wards will make an important contribution to these outcomes. In this article, post-operative feeding, analgesia and inpatient stays following cleft palate repair are examined. In a post-palatoplasty study of 68 babies, 34 who were fed orally and 34 nasogastrically, the babies who were fed nasogastrically were more settled, needed less analgesia and were discharged earlier. The parents of these babies were more relaxed knowing their child was fed and had adequate analgesia, and nurses believed they were able to give these babies a better quality of care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.