An infant with an isolated cleft lip can usually breastfeed with minimal intervention. The lactation consultant should observe an entire feeding, to see if by placing the cleft as tightly to the breast as possible, and by placing the mother's thumb or index finger over the cleft, there is sufficient closure for the infant to effectively remove milk from the breast. A pre- and post- weight check would be optimal.
(Core Curriculum 2013 pp. 486-487; Core Curriculum 2019 p. 40; Wambach 2016 p. 743; Wambach 2021 p. 642)