Feeding Infants with Cleft and the Postoperative Cleft Management.

Cleft lip and palate malformations affect the ability of infants to adequately feed. Choosing the appropriate feeding technique must allow functioning of the suck-swallow-breathing mechanism and development of oral-motor function. Feeding in the postsurgical setting should be returned to normal as soon as possible to maintain adequate nutritional intake and good wound healing, an essential component to cleft repair. This article outlines the complex mechanism of wound healing, gives options to augment the process of aesthetic scar healing, and presents feeding modifications.