Breast feeding or spoon feeding after cleft lip repair: a prospective, randomised study

It has been a tradition for plastic surgeons to withhold breast feeding from babies after cleft lip repair to prevent wound disruption. A prospective, randomised trial of 40 infants showed that early postoperative breast feeding after cleft lip repair is safe, results in more weight gain at 6 weeks after surgery (P<0.01) and is more economical than spoon feeding.