Every kid has different developmental needs, and we at Esperanza are aware of this. The difficulties associated with feeding infants who are dependent on tube feedings because of medical issues might go beyond dietary intake. The oral-motor development, sensory processing, and general feeding abilities of these kids may be impacted by their difficulties with the natural processes of sucking, swallowing, and eating.
One tactic we employ to help tube-fed newborns enhance their eating abilities is oral stimulation. This article will explain oral stimulation, its benefits for newborns on tube feedings, and how Esperanza’s skilled therapists utilize it to support healthy feeding habits, improve sensory development, and get kids ready for oral eating.
Oral Stimulation: Learn About It
Stimulating the mouth, lips, tongue, and jaw is a way to help strengthen motor abilities for sucking, swallowing, and eating. Oral stimulation serves to develop a child’s mouth muscles and sensory knowledge, which support their ability to speak, chew food, and care for their mouth.
Infants tube-feeding should have their tongues and mouths stimulated because it prepares them for when they need to learn how to feed from the breast or bottle. Besides, it allows the child to build self-reliance and learn to eat using different senses by practicing oral skills.
Why Is It Crucial for Infants Receiving Tube Feedings to Get Oral Stimulation?
For most premature babies requiring tube feedings, oral feeding is often not a part of their everyday schedule. The inability to use muscles for regular sucking, swallowing, and chewing that arises from a lack of oral nutrition may prevent these people from practicing oral feeding if it is necessary for medical reasons.
Babies who need tube feedings do not experience flavors, textures, or sucking which could influence their taste and eating satisfaction.
Taking care of a newborn who is tube-fed starts with oral stimulation because it is especially helpful for the following reasons:
1. Developing Perceptual Awareness:
The mouth has a lot of receptors, which helps an infant get to know their environment and become aware of their mouth. Oral stimulation from routinely feeding a tube into the mouth helps a newborn form positive associations with eating by letting them sense things in their mouth. The brain and body must be integrated, and understanding and controlling sensory information can only happen with meaningful sensory experiences.
2. Promoting Oral-Motor Growth:
While sucking, swallowing, and chewing, a person uses their lips, tongue, jaw and throat muscles together. Because it takes muscles some time to build up, oral stimulation may be needed to initiate the process of oral feeding. Oral stimulation activities help the child develop better, which supports an easy start or progress to oral feeding.
3. Increasing Eating Comfort and Acceptability:
Feeding pain or oral aversion may be experienced by infants who are exclusively tube-fed. This is especially true if their prior experiences with oral eating were unsatisfactory or inconsistent. To lessen oral aversion and improve the infant’s comfort and acceptance of oral feeding, we might progressively introduce oral stimulation. Gently massaging the gums or offering safe, soft textures for exploration are two examples of non-invasive, gentle methods that might accomplish this.
4. Facilitating the Switch to Oral Feeding:
Tube feeding is merely a short-term fix for a lot of babies. Transitioning the kid to oral feeding is frequently the aim when medically suitable. But this can be a complicated procedure, especially for babies who have been tube-fed for a long time. Because it prepares the child’s mouth muscles, improves sensory integration, and encourages the development of healthy eating behaviors, oral stimulation is crucial throughout this transition. The likelihood that a newborn will smoothly adjust to eating by mouth increases with the timing of oral stimulation.
How Esperanza Helps Tube-Fed Infants by Using Oral Therapy
At Esperanza, our team of expert therapists works with families to adopt evidence-based practices that promote the growth of newborns with tube feeds. Our customized approach to oral stimulation takes into account the child’s long-term eating objectives, present ability, and medical history. Here are a few tactics we employ:
1. Toxic Sucking Behavior:
Non-nutritive sucking, or sucking for comfort rather than nourishment, is encouraged for newborns who are not yet ready for oral feeding to improve oral-motor coordination. A critical developmental stage that aids in the development of the muscles required for sucking, swallowing, and breathing during feeding is non-nutritive sucking. To assist the baby in practicing these abilities, our therapists could suggest that they suck on pacifiers, gloved fingers, or other safe, soft objects.
2. Mild Oral Sensory Investigation:
To assist the baby become used to the various sensations in and around the mouth, we start by providing mild oral sensory exercises. This may consist of:
- Promoting exploration and oral-motor activity using gentle, developmentally appropriate objects, including pacifiers or teething rings.
- To encourage comfort and sensory awareness, gently massage the lips, gums, and tongue.
- Giving the infant a variety of textures to experience in their mouth, such as a finger or a soft brush, will help them learn about the diverse textures and feelings related to eating.
3. Introducing Oral Feeding Gradually:
We may start administering tiny volumes of oral feeding in addition to tube feeds when medically suitable. The child can develop the skills necessary for full oral feeding with this stepwise approach without feeling overburdened. This progressive introduction, together with oral stimulation, makes the transition easier and makes the youngster more comfortable with oral eating.
4. Advice and Instruction for Parents:
We at Esperanza acknowledge the vital role parents play in fostering their child’s growth. In order to make sure that these activities are carried out in a supportive and pleasant manner, we give families helpful advice on how to use oral stimulation techniques at home. In order for parents to provide the proper interventions if needed, we also provide instruction on how to spot the warning indications of oral aversion or discomfort.
5. Dining Positioning and Training for the Oral Motor:
Through our cooperation with caregivers, we can be sure that the baby’s position is correct during tube feeds and exercises to encourage feeding. A child will be more able to take part in feeding and oral exercises when the dentist ensures the denture fits correctly and comfortably. In addition, we guide caretakers on simple things to do with the mouth such as having them gently move their lips or tongue.
Last Remarks
For babies who are tube-fed, oral stimulation is a useful technique that supports oral-motor development, fosters sensory integration, and gets them ready for the ultimate switch to oral feeding. Our skilled therapists at Esperanza employ a range of methods to boost general growth and development, improve feeding comfort, and help babies acquire the skills they need to transition to oral eating.
We can assist you if you have concerns regarding your baby’s oral-motor development or eating. The entire team at Esperanza is committed to providing tailored care to meet the specific requirements of every child, guiding families through the difficulties of oral and tube feeding with empathy and knowledge. For more information about our offerings and how we can aid in your child’s growth, get in touch with us right now.
