It can be difficult and painful for a new parent to watch their infant struggle to feed. A lot of babies experience feeding issues, which is a fairly prevalent concern. Oral motor dysfunction is frequently a major contributing reason to these issues, while there are many other factors as well.
This blog explores the relationship between a baby's ability to feed herself successfully and their oral motor skills, pointing out the challenges this relationship might provide and providing advice for parents and other caregivers.
Understanding Oral Motor Impairment
Coordinated motions of the lips, tongue, jaw, and cheeks are included in oral motor abilities. These motions are very important for a number of processes, such as chewing, swallowing, and sucking. Infants with oral motor impairment have weak, uncoordinated, or undeveloped motions, which makes it challenging for them to carry out crucial daily feeding duties.
Oral motor impairment in infants can result from a number of reasons, such as:
- Prematurity: Because of their shorter gestational periods, premature infants can sometimes have poor oral motor abilities.
- Neurological conditions: Disorders that affect the neural system, such as Cleft Lip/Palate, Cerebral Palsy, and Down syndrome, can have an effect on the motor control of the mouth.
- Muscular disorders: In infants, the muscles used for swallowing and sucking can become weaker due to Myopathies, which can severely impact muscle tone and strength. This may further impact the oral motor skills of the infant.
- Structural abnormalities: Structural abnormalities in the mouth, tongue knots, and short Lingual Frenulums (the tissue behind the tongue) can all become a hindrance in oral motor movements.
Feeding Challenges Caused by Oral Motor Impairment
Oral motor issues in infants can cause significant difficulties. This can also create a various number of feeding problems. These may appear in many forms. For example, having trouble holding onto a breast or bottle. This can lead to stress and frustration. It is possible that they might not be able to get the right amount of suction to extract milk in a easy manner.
It is also possible that they might have trouble controlling their breathing, swallowing, and sucking. Choking, coughing, or delayed eating can become a result of this. It is believed that the babies will hold the food between their cheeks instead of pushing it to the back of the mouth. Pushing it back to the mouth usually helps in swallowing the food. So, this can create a lot more problems in the feeding tasks of the infants. Additionally, babies with oral motor impairment can become sensitive to certain textures or temperatures. This can further prevent them from trying or eating new foods.
Nutritional Concerns Associated with Feeding Difficulties
The feeding difficulties listed above can have a serious effect on an infant's capacity to achieve its basic nutritional demands. In infants, this may later result in more problems. For example, a baby may not grow and develop at a healthy rate if they aren't getting enough calories and a proper diet.
The inability to swallow or consume liquids is another issue that may occur. This can lead to dehydration. Poor diet might also result in deficiencies. As a result, the infant's body will be deficient in vital vitamins and minerals. Lastly, for babies who usually have trouble digesting breast milk or formula with added iron. This can be a serious worry for the parents.
Medical Interventions
If you suspect that your infant has oral motor impairment affecting their feeding, it's crucial to consult your Pediatrician. A Pediatrician can perform a physical examination and then can start the Pediatric Feeding Therapy. They can also recommend further tests or examinations and can accordingly plan the therapy sessions.
Treatment for oral motor impairment typically involves a number of approaches. First of all, a therapist can assess the infant's specific oral motor skills or the difficulties that the infant is facing. This helps in developing a personalized feeding plan. This will usually include exercises to strengthen oral muscles and improve coordination. This can also help to desensitize the mouth to different textures.
Also, specialized tools like spoons and sporks with different flow rates can sometimes facilitate feeding practices and can make daily routine activities easier for children.
Hence, in order to treat feeding challenges brought on by oral motor impairment, early intervention is very important. By asking the help of a healthcare provider, parents can make sure their baby gets the assistance that they need to recover from the ongoing difficulties.
Parental Support and Education
Feeding difficulties can be a very stressful experience for parents. But in such situations, parents need to be patient and encouraging in the whole journey. It is also recommended that they should practice the feeding exercises with their infants from time to time.
One should remain patient with their infant and celebrate even small improvements. This will help to build a positive environment around the child that can further help in recovering faster.
Moreover, parents should connect with other parents facing similar challenges. They should utilize resources from consultants or feeding therapists. Lastly, every parent should learn that is not a linear process and will take time. So, one has to maintain a positive mindset.
Conclusion
While it is not possible for us to list everything in this blog. Also, one cannot list every single product that can help their children in their oral impairment recovery journey. So, you can check out TalkTools to get a more comprehensive knowledge of the same.
A range of feeding treatment resources and tools are available through TalkTools to help infants with oral motor impairments have a successful feeding journey. This includes numerous other similar devices, such as the Itsy's Plate Lid, Bowl Snack Lid, Spoon and Spork etc. With the aid of these tools, feeding therapy programs can be made easier for parents. Thus, this can help the parents in taking an active role in their child's feeding development.
