Keeping Mateo Fed and Growing
Why can't Mateo feed like a baby without a , and what can we change today so he grows?
💡 Feeding is a solvable problem: a squeezable bottle and replace the suction an open cannot make.
Prerequisite check
- The is a structured, head-to-toe protocol (measurements plus a deliberate look at face, eyes, ears, , heart, limbs, skin, growth, and family history), not a glance.
- scans the genome for copy-number variants (deleted or duplicated DNA) and can catch invisible causes like the 22q11.2 deletion.
What you will learn
Goal: Students will explain why an open prevents normal sucking and choose feeding interventions (specialized bottle, positioning) that let Mateo grow.
- To suck, a baby seals the lips and drops the jaw and tongue to make a closed, sealed space; the is the ceiling of that space.
- An open connects mouth to nose, so the baby cannot build (the vacuum) and a lip breaks the lip seal, so milk is not pulled in efficiently and some refluxes out the nose.
- When intake stays below what a baby burns, the baby keeps losing weight, a state called .
- Most infants feed successfully with a plus , with no surgery required.
Model: Two feeding logs and the sealed-space idea
A nurse records what happens when Mateo tries to nurse, next to a typical newborn (the log is an instructional construct built to make the mechanism visible; the mechanism is grounded in the reviews). Lip seal: a typical newborn's lips wrap the nipple tightly, while Mateo has a gap at the lip and the seal leaks air. Pressure inside the mouth: a typical newborn builds a strong vacuum that pulls milk in, while Mateo builds little to no vacuum. Where milk goes: down the throat for a typical newborn, but some comes back out the nose for Mateo. Time per feeding: about 15 to 20 minutes typically, but over 40 minutes for Mateo, who tires and stops. Weight over three days: a typical newborn gains slowly after day 3, while Mateo continues to lose and regains none.
The fact behind the log: to suck, a baby seals the lips and then drops the jaw and tongue to create a closed, sealed space inside the mouth. The roof of the mouth () is the ceiling of that sealed space. An open palate connects the mouth to the nose, so the ceiling has a hole in it, and a vacuum can only build inside a sealed container.
Explore (work the model before reading on)
- List every difference between the two feeding logs.
- In Mateo's log, where does some of the milk end up, and what does that tell you about whether his mouth is fully sealed?
- A vacuum can only build inside a sealed container. Using the fact, explain why Mateo's mouth cannot hold a vacuum.
- Connect the failed vacuum to the weight-loss line at the bottom of his log. Why would a baby who works for over 40 minutes still lose weight?
- You cannot repair the on a two-day-old. Without surgery, what could you change about the bottle or the baby's position so milk still reaches the throat? Propose one idea and predict what it fixes.
- In one sentence, what pattern did your team find linking the open to the feeding failure?
Guided notes
Why the suck fails
- A baby feeds by building , the suction inside a sealed mouth; Mateo's open means he cannot generate the ______ (vacuum).
- His lip breaks the lip ______ (seal), so milk is not pulled in efficiently and some refluxes out the nose.
The danger and the fix
- When intake stays below what a baby burns, the baby keeps losing weight, a state called ______.
- A caregiver gently ______ (squeezes) a to deliver milk in time with the baby's attempts.
Positioning
- holds the baby more ______ (vertical) so gravity carries milk down the throat, not back up into the nose.
- Specialized bottles and positioning are first-line and are usually enough; no surgery is required today.
Reading the Research
- Skim the title and abstract first to get the gist.
- Circle the one sentence that states the main claim.
- Box the evidence the authors give for that claim.
- Mark one sentence that confuses you, and move on.
Vocabulary (the same words your classes use)
Track your progress today
Check these off as you work through the lesson, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
- Read the Model and answered the Explore questions.
- Filled in the guided notes in my own words.
- Defined the new vocabulary with an example.
- Built the producible: Write a 3-line feeding plan a parent could follow tonight: (1) which bottle/nipple type and why, tied to the missing vacuum; (2) how to position him during feeds and why; (3) one sign of failure to thrive the parents should report.
- Wrote my Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning exit ticket.
Exit ticket (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)
- Claim: Mateo's feeding problem is caused by ________.
- Evidence: In the feeding log, the sign that his mouth is not sealed was ________.
- Reasoning: A squeezable bottle and help because ________.
| Criterion | Proficient | Developing | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in. | Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank. | Several parts are missing. |
| Accurate | The science and data are correct and match the evidence. | Mostly correct, with a small factual slip. | Key science or data is wrong. |
| Scientific reasoning (CER) | States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning. | Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing. | Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning. |
| Professional communication | Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it. | Readable but disorganized or missing labels. | Hard to follow. |
| Submitted | Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed. | Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed. | Not turned in. |
- CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "Write a 3-line feeding plan a parent could follow tonight: (1) which bottle/nipple type and why, tied to the missing vacuum; (2) how to position him during feeds and why; (3) one sign of failure to thrive the parents should report.".
- AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
- Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
- SubmittedProficient: It would be turned in on Schoology and confirmed.
Where this leads: careers
What's next: We answered today's question: Mateo can be fed with the right bottle and position. But most is not all. A few babies struggle not just to eat but to breathe, especially when the jaw is small and the tongue falls back. When is a cleft an actual airway emergency?