Hallo, I am following Lactnet since almost 5 months but this is the first time that I am posting. I am an IBCLC and work in private practice in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, since the beginning of this year. I really enjoy following Lactnet and I am learning a lot. I also use the archives quite often and find it very stimulating.

Concerning the use of hydrogel pads: in the Journal of Human Lactation, volume 13, number 4, december 1997 an article was published: Nipple Wound Care: A New Approach to an Old Problem, B. Cable, M. Stewart and J. Davis, 313-318. This article discusses the advantages of  hydrogel sheet wound coverings on nipple wounds. 
 
I also have a question. I would  like to train parents more often to finger feed with a feeding tube if the baby does not drink from the breast directly. I just have a problem finding the right feeding tubes. Up to now the only thing we found are suction catheters which have to be cut off at both ends and which are too short. Jack Newman advises feeding tubes #5F, 36" long. Does anybody have the name of a supplier in the US (a friend of mine is going there and can buy them for me).
Karin Grätz, IBCLC, Amsterdam/Netherlands

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