This page is designed as a guide to some of the ways that your baby may be helped with feeding, so that you can enjoy these times together.
All babies spend most of their early weeks feeding and sleeping.
As well as satisfying hunger and thirst, feeding is a time of social interaction when a baby is most alert and parents and babies begin to get to know each other. Unless your baby has other problems you should not need to be separated from your baby. In order to feed, babies need to form a vacuum inside the mouth and to position the tongue properly. This is usually done by sealing the lips around the nipple or teat and closing off the back of the mouth with the soft palate. Babies with clefts may not be able to do this efficiently and need some extra help.