Breastfeeding Established in Premature Infants
Breastfeeding Established in Premature Infants
Historically it has been said that there are developmental reasons that premature infants have difficulty establishing oral feeding. These babies face the challenges of sucking, swallowing, and breathing in a self-regulated manner making it hard or impossible for them to accept a bottle or establish breastfeeding.
What if there was a solution whereby a premature infant could overcome these feeding challenges and be discharged from the NICU as an oral feeding baby rather than a baby dependent on a feeding tube? What if that baby could be discharged to go home with his/her family much sooner than anticipated?
FMCM has demonstrated positive results in this arena, allowing premature infants to meet their milestone markers. As a result, these infants have been released from the hospital more quickly, thus eliminating separation within the parent/infant dyad.
The Case Story
A family, whose infant was born prematurely, contacted us for help. Their baby girl was in the NICU and was exhibiting feeding issues.
Baby H was born at thirty-two weeks and two days gestation via emergency cesarean section. There were serious complications within the pregnancy and her birth was significantly traumatic for both the baby and the family.
After birth, Baby H required CPAP support for forty-eight hours but was doing very well despite the traumatic premature delivery. She received an OG feeding tube, which was replaced by an NG feeding tube six days later. During this period, the infant ‘s weight began to drop.
As Baby H was trying to establish oral feeding, the mother described Baby H’s struggle as a disorganized tongue and weak suck reflex. She was unable to feed by bottle nor was she able to latch to breastfeed.
The Fascial Matrix and Oral Feeding
Infant feeding is a complex process, requiring the precise coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing. The pharynx is a shared anatomic pathway for breathing and swallowing; however, these two activities are mutually exclusive. Therefore, the pharynx must be continually reconfigured so that the infant can successfully eat and breathe at the same time.
Since fascia encompasses every nerve, muscle, vessel, bone, and organ down to a cellular level, it would be understandable that compressions and restrictions within any component of the pharynx, mandible, cranial, and facial connective tissue could affect an infant’s ability to suck, swallow, and breathe in a coordinated manner.
Baby H presented with a retracted mandible and because of this imbalance, her tongue and hyoid muscles were restricted and unable to function properly. We also identified restrictions in the pelvis and cranium. These fascial restrictions were a result of in utero compressions and stresses related to the emergency cesarean section. Read more on in our blog: The Core Matrix: Why are babies born tight?
We reported our assessment to the family and discussed a protocol using FMCM to help their infant. The goal was to free up and relax these specific fascial restrictions for Baby H to transition from tube to oral feeding and gain enough weight to meet the milestones to be released from the NICU.
The Results
Two hours after the first treatment, the mother reported that Baby H was able to feed from a bottle without any difficulty for the first time. Baby H was also able to latch and effectively breastfeed for twenty-five minutes.
During the second treatment, which occurred twenty-four hours later, we continued to address the same restrictions to continue the process of elongating and relaxing the fascia. Afterwards, Baby H’s mother reported that the feedings from bottle and breast became stable and efficient, so much so that the NG tube was no longer necessary.
Baby H was thriving and was able to be removed from the restraints of the incubator and feeding tube.
We did the final session the next day and worked with the remaining oropharyngeal restrictions that were still present. At the end of the session Baby H was feeding from the bottle and breast easily, as well as adapting to both without any hesitancy or confusion. Her ability to organize the suck, swallow, and breathe coordination had improved significantly.
Baby H was also presenting with other positive changes since receiving the benefits of FMCM. The mother, as well as several nurses, commented that Baby H’s level of awareness and focus was extraordinarily strong.
Eleven days after her premature and traumatic birth, Baby H met the requirements for discharge, was released from the NICU, and able to go home.
The Value of FMCM
Many hospitals and physicians do not promote breastfeeding for premature babies as it has been taught that most babies are not developmentally ready to nurse until they are 34-35 weeks gestation. However, our results strongly indicate that some premature infants can in fact breastfeed/bottle feed that early if their fascial matrix is worked with after birth. Once we can loosen the weave of the fascial web, we always see a restoration of function and strength in that body system.
The Myers Institute® has supported many families who are dealing with the stresses of having an infant in the NICU. We have been particularly successful in mitigating restrictions related to oral feeding. While tube feedings may be initially necessary to support the infant, we feel that addressing the baby’s structure as soon as possible could eliminate or reduce the need of tube dependent feedings, which comes with its own list of negative side effects.
Another significant benefit to note is that FMCM has been proven successful with infants being discharged from the NICU as an oral feeding baby rather than a baby dependent on a feeding tube. This benefit eliminates the stress factor for the infant and the entire family.
The body is capable of amazing things and holds the innate capabilities and intelligence to create changes towards vibrant health. We are committed to helping a child be the best that he or she can be.
Michael and Kristen Myers, LMT, November 2022 ©
ABOUT
Fascial Matrix Connection Method® and The Matrix in Motion are intended to serve as an adjunct to medically supervised healthcare. This article is not designed for and does not provide medical advice. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental advice or care. You should consult with a healthcare provider for diagnosis and collaborative treatment. Michael Myers, Kristen Myers, and the Myers Institute ® are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the method discussed within the information of this article.
