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Newborn query cerebral palsy - feeding difficulties?

2 replies

Draineddraineddrained · 19/03/2021 08:56

Hello all I'll try to be brief. My DD was born a month ago by c section as the doctors weren't happy with her heart rate during contractions. She was a bit shocked on arrival but healthy pink and screaming within seconds and no-one had any concerns about her.

She breast fed straight away and really well overnight, then the next morning seems to have totally forgotten what to do. We have continued to struggle to bf and by day three she was mostly on expressed breastmilk via bottle. I have continued to attempt to bf but she still won't open her mouth, her tongue seems to get in her own way and she chomps her gums on my boob - she also tires v quickly and doesn't get enough so still largely bottle feeds.

My concern is that in the last week she has become very inefficient on the bottle which she wasn't before - she now clicks and gasps and chokes on her bottles, even though they are slow flow, and over the last couple of days she has developed severe reflux, and gone from a happy sleepy baby into one who vomits, screams and won't be put down.

There are a few other things making me wonder about CP, but my main question is re feeding issues as a newborn - does any of what I'm describing ring a bell for any CP parents? I'm aware diagnosis pathway can be long and I can't bear the thought she needs appropriate help and I might not be able to get it to her in time to help her properly 😭

OP posts:
Novid19 · 29/03/2021 13:42

I don’t have much experience of cp but I will say that feeding difficulties are incredibly common for newborns. The difference between swallowing and breathing takes a good while to understand. We were in the nicu for other problems (chromosomal) and all of the babies in there had the problems you describe pretty much, even those just with jaundice or who were slightly premature due to being twins. What are the other problems that point towards cp?

Anxiouslikenoneother · 26/11/2022 09:10

@Draineddraineddrained i know it’s been a while but we are going through a very similar situation and I wondered what was the outcome for you?

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