A Quick Primer on Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in Infancy

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A Quick Primer on Feeding and Swallowing
Disorders in Infancy

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  ck-primer-on-feeding-and-swallowing-disorders-in-i
  nfancy/

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• It is not unusual for infants to have certain
  food-related issues. This can include but are not
  limited to difficulty in sucking breastmilk,
  spitting up, rejecting any kind of new food and
  most commonly, refusing to eat at certain times.
• Some of them may also have problems with grabbing
  the food properly, inability to chew and suck
  etc. Lets go through some of the essential
  pointers that will tell you more and help you
  decide whether or not you need to opt
  for swallowing therapy for children

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Dysphagia can occur at Different Stages

• Oral Stage This stage consists of chewing,
  sucking, moving foods and/or the liquids down the
  throat. But this is difficult for them.
• Pharyngeal Stage In this stage, the infant
  starts to swallow and move the food down their
  throat. The mechanism is such that the food
  doesnt enter the airway and hence, there is no
  choking.
• Esophageal Stage In this stage, the openings of
  the esophagus relaxes and tightens, thereby
  pushing the food in the stomach.

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• If there is an issue in any of these stages you
  need to opt for feeding and swallowing therapy.
  Next up, look at some common signs and symptoms,
  which will help you make an informed decision

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How to detect problems with infant feeding and
swallowing

• Being extra fussy or lacking alertness while
  feeding
• Refusing to eat certain liquid food items
• Difficulty in eating different textures of food
• Moving the body and the back during feeding
• Long feeding times
• Issues in chewing
• Frequent coughing or gagging during feeding
• Lots of drooling
• Frequently spitting the food or throwing up
• Poor weight gain or growth issues
• Recurring pneumonia
• Nasal stuffiness and hoarse/breathy voice

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Calling it a Day

• These symptoms also tell us that the infants who
  have feeding and swallowing issues are at an
  increased risk of dehydration, lung diseases and
  suffer from poor nutrition. If you find any of
  these signs in your baby, you need to contact a
  therapist who can help you diagnose the exact
  problem accurately. 
• They will use their expertise to make sure that
  your little one can eat properly and therefore,
  get all the essential nutrients. Now that you
  have a fair share of knowledge on this, you can
  also help other moms and their kids, should you
  see them having similar problems? For more such
  write-ups, keep watching this space.