Carefully #study the #baby & the #nipple - If there is more than one #suck that precedes the #swallow is the baby working too hard? #NOMAS

Sidelying prevents pharyngeal pooling, provides a neutral position against gravity to enhance respiration and allows the feeder a clear view

#Infants who are stressed during oral #feeding are predisposed to developing a #sensory-based oral feeding aversion later. #NOMAS

Take a look at some of the #NOMAS success stories! nomasinternational.org/about_stories.…

#Infants may be more successful #oral #feeders when they are fed on demand.

Evaluate neonatal sucking patterns using #NOMAS - it enables the examiner to differentiate among normal, disorganized/dysfunctional sucking.

The #NOMAS (#Neonatal #Oral-#Motor #Assessment #Scale) has been a reliable assessment of neonatal sucking patterns for over 25 years.

If an #infant can't breathe, he/she can't eat!

The #transverse #tongue #reflex is an important #indicator of #cranial #nerve #function in the #neonate.

#Pathological #movements of the #jaw and #tongue during #neonatal #sucking are #fluid and not #static as they become later.

#Premature #infants need to #breathe after 3-5 #seconds and so must stop #sucking and #swallowing.

In order to #swallow efficiently the #infant must stop #breathing and thus, the #coordination between #pharyngeal #swallow and #respiration.

#Sensory #problems such as #habituation and #perseveration may be #observed during #non-#nutritive #sucking.

Ask before feeding: What is the infant's color; state; medical conditions; respiration at rest; sleep/wake cycles; gastrointestinal issues?

A disorganized suck is a "lack of rhythm of the total sucking activity" (Crook, 1079)

The anterior seal on the nipple is formed between the tongue and the palate. Bilabial closure does not become active until 3-6 months of age

A Licensed NOMAS Professional will be able to accurately diagnosis normal, disorganized, and dysfunctional sucking in the neonate.

Next to breathing, eating is the most important task a newborn has to master prior to being discharged from hospital to home.

Infants with a disorganized suck may just need a little extra time to coordinate respiration with the pharyngeal swallow.

Each time a swallow occurs respiration stops. Thus the occurrence of oxygen desaturations and deglutition apnea during infant feeding.