Rachel talks about the gizmo that looks like a mini bicycle horn pump.... I've had a couple of rather unpleasant exchanges with representatives for Lansinoh at conferences when they were pushing their gizmo that looks suspiciously like a re-packaged bicycle horn pump, claimed by Lansinoh to be a superior way of getting a nipple, flattened by engorgement, to protrude so a baby can attach to it. The only force this device can exert is suction. The horn fits over the woman's nipple and she applies it to the nipple after first squeezing the air out of the balloon part, so it just sits there, stuck to the nipple by the vacuum. I have asked to see the research showing the safety and efficacy of the device, and expressed my skepticism since it would only accentuate any edema and could cause serious tissue damage the same way a breast pump does in the same circumstances **************************************************************** Rachel, that gizmo has been around since before I went into lactation full bore in 1985. It was made by the pigeon company, had a red bulb and was sold in Asian stores in the US. It was part and parcel of what Japanese and other Asian women *needed* to breastfeed. In fact, the only slide I have of it in use is of a Japanese woman -- and I don't remember where I got the slide -- only that I've had it forever. Before Lansinoh started making it, the only place I could get it was at the big Asian market here in the Chicagoland area. Now, I wonder if the reason they don't have any evidence on the efficacy of its use is because they simply are packaging and marketing something that was made and sold by their parent company??? Their marketing (when I've looked at it in Target) is that this is something you NEED in order to breastfeed successfully. Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, FILCA Wheaton IL _www.lactationeducation.com_ (http://www.lactationeducation.com/) *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome