Question

Discussion Forum: Describe the development of swallow, suck and suck-swallow-breathe during gestation. You will have to go outside of lactation textbooks to find all the answers.

Answer 1

Efficient suckling feeding is considered to be most complex skill in newborn infant on which he has to master for individual survival. The development of an efficient suckling feeding depends on maturation and coordination of neuronal central pattern generators controlling suck, swallow and breath. These generators are also activated during non nutritive suck which is a marker for an intact neurodevelopment. The process of suck-swallow -breath is not only initiated at the time of birth but its present in a specific period of gestation inside the womb.

The non nutritive sucking ( called as suck, swallow and breath) during gestation is present in utero at 28 weeks but not fully coordinated until 32 to 34 weeks gestation. This is the reason when a baby is born premature, the non nutritive sucking is halted. The baby has to be taught how to such effectively.

During second trimester, the baby starts to swallow inside the womb. The reason for this is:

• Firstly the baby should learn how to swallow when they drink mum's milk for the first time and also for development of the digestive system.
• Secondly its important as the swallowing initiates a process that helps to balance the amount of amniotic fluid. By the end of pregnancy the child is able to swallow approximately 500ml of amniotic fluid per day.

The breathing develops by 20 weeks. There is no special reason why baby breath in amniotic fluid but its just to learn breathing and to strengthen the breathing muscles.Suck is also essential so that the baby knows how to suck at mother's nipple or teat of a bottle To practice sucking, the baby sucks his own thumb and fingers or by placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth.