When I first started working in the NICU as part of my LC job this was a big problem also. I told the staff that their current practice was dangerous as it was possible to forcefeed with a bottle before the baby was able to coordinate sucking and swallowing. As milk comes out of a teat when the bottle is tipped up, milk went into the babies mouth whether the poor kid was ready or not. I said that there was a real danger of aspiration using this technique. If a breastfed baby is capable of taking the breast into its mouth sufficiently to breastfeed then it is capable of coordinating suck and swallow. Luckily no-one asked me for references and we have not given bottles to breastfed babies since. Regards, -- Carolyn Westcott RN IBCLC Southampton UK mailto:[log in to unmask] *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html