Which of the following feature of airways can make babies enable breathing while suckling breast milk?
Paediatric larynx: Infant's larynx is positioned high in the neck opposite C3 or C4 (vocal cord level ) at rest and reaches C1 or C2 during swallowing. This high position allows the epiglottis to meet soft palate and make a nasopharyngeal channel for nasal breathing during suckling. The milk feed passes separately over the dorsum of tongue and the side of epiglottis, thus allowing breathing and feeding to go on simultaneously. Ref: Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat by PL Dhingra, 4th edition, Page 262.
Sho, wide tongue
Small pharynx
Higher position of larynx
Small soft palate