Development of feeding reflexes Flashcards
What are the two types of feeding reflexes
Adaptive and Protective
What are adaptive reflexes
Adaptive reflexes assist the infant to direct feeds into the gut. They are reflexive in the fact that the baby will respond automatically however this can be affected by an infants level of hunger/ alertness. Adaptive reflexes gradually diminish over time and are replaced by voluntary skills
What are protective reflexes
Protective reflexes assist the infant to keep the feeds out of the air way. Most protective reflexes diminish over time and are replaced by voluntary skills
What are the two types of adaptive reflexes
Rooting reflexes and Suckling reflexes
What are rooting reflexes
Rooting reflexes are seen in new-born babies. It assists the infant to locate the food source. It emerges during the 3rd trimester and continues to approx. 3-6 months. An example of this is when a touch to the new-borns lips/ cheeks will cause the infant to turn head towards the tactile stimulus and open mouth and make a sucking motion
What are suckling reflexes
Suckling reflexes assist the child to draw milk, they develop in the third trimester and continue to approx. 3-6 months. It is seen when tactile stimulation occurs at the top of the tongue or the middle of the hard palate. The tongue will respond by moving forward in a backward motion. Suckling turns into Sucking due to development in the neural pathways
What are the two types of suckling reflexes
Nutritive Suckling and Non-Nutritive Suckling
What is Nutritive Suckling
This is used during feeding. It is coordinated with swallow and breathing
What is Non-Nutritive Suckling
This is used for comfort, state regulation, stabilisation and exploration. Infants will suck on hands, clothes, dummy etc.
What are the main Protective Reflexes
Tongue Protrusion Tongue Lateralisation Phasic Bite Cough Reflex Gag Reflex
Describe Tongue Protrusion Reflex and when it occurs
Tongue Protrusion is seen around 3-6 months and is in response to tactile stimulation at the anterior portion of the tongue. It protects the airway by pushing the food away from the mouth when skills are not mature enough
Describe Tongue Lateralisation Reflex and when it occurs
Tongue Lateralisation Reflex is seen around 6-9 months. It is in response to material at the side of the tongue and food is pushed to the side of the mouth
Describe Phasic Bite reflex and when is occurs
Phasic Bite is seen around 9-12 months it is in response to tactile stimulation of the gums. It results in crude jaw movements to bite and release. It also protects the airway by holding the food in between the gums and breaking down large bits of food
Describe the Cough Reflex and how it works
There are two main receptors in the cough reflex. Mechanoreceptors and Chemoreceptors. They are responsible for processing information that comes from touch and pressure e.g. if the food and drink go down the wrong way. Sensory information from the afferent (inwards) receptors in the larynx are carried by the superior laryngeal nerve of the VAGUS nerve (X). The message is conveyed to the brainstem (medulla) for processing. If the signal is sufficient then the cough reflex is triggered and signals are sent to the larynx muscles and muscles of respiration resulting in a cough
Describe the Gag Reflex and how it works
The Gag Reflex is in response to tactile stimulation to the posterior 2/3 of the tongue and pharyngeal wall. It is to prevent larger objects/food entering the pharynx. It is sensitive in young babies and becomes less sensitive when they begin to chew around 7-9 months. Motor response is triggered by noxious stimuli - designed to squeeze the material up and out of the pharynx
