What Charlie finds hard:
Charlie finds it hard to feed on a bottle. He has sometimes choked. He has reflux. He also has a floppy larynx (voice box). This makes his breathing noisy.
Assessing Charlie:
The therapist found out about Charlie’s medical history. She talked to his consultant at the hospital. She watched Charlie having a bottle so she could see how he sucked and swallowed. She listened to his swallow with a stethoscope.
What we talked about with his parents:
The therapist told the parents that his swallow was safe. This meant that he would not be at risk of milk going down the wrong way into his lungs. She said that his floppy larynx might make feeding harder for Charlie than for other babies.
How we helped:
The therapist gave his parents advice on how to help Charlie take his bottle more easily by “pacing” his feeds – giving him little breaks between sucks.
What happened next:
Charlie’s parents helped Charlie feed better by pacing his feeds. The therapist discharged him. His health visitor took over support for his parents. Charlie still sees the consultant for his floppy larynx and his reflux.