Would like to get some feedback from your collective wisdom on a baby and mom I'm working with. Saw them both the first time last week. Mother is at her wits end, says baby won't feed and she has spent his whole life trying to get food into him. She has been partially successful using a cup. He was eating solids from 3 months (mom says that's the norm in her native Norway) After doing an oral exam I saw one of the tightest frenulums I've ever seen. Baby had less than 1 cm lift and frenulum was attached to the tip of his tongue - no wonder breastfeeding had been less than thrilling. Mom had breastfed previous son 14 yrs ago and wondered what she was doing wrong all this time. After talking with the mom the CNM I work with clipped the frenulum. The baby was none too happy about this, and is extremely defensive orally anyhow. We got him calmed down and tried to get him to breast, but he just nibbled and nuzzled - no latch. I showed the mom how to teach him to stick out his tongue and how to use her finger to help the little guy learn to draw out his tongue since he now has some options in lieu of holding it up in back. This mom has been very aggressive about feeding this baby. He weighs 17 lbs at 5 1/2 months and eating isn't his favorite activity. Mom, bless her heart, has been pumping all along to keep up with his requirements. What I would like from you great folks are some ideas on how to make this little guy a bit less defensive orally. I'm going to try to get an OT from the local hospital to give me some ideas also. I just would love for this incredibly tenacious mom to have some enjoyment with her baby at breast - not to mention for the baby too! She comes in Wedn. and I'm going to try fingerfeeding with a H***ker finger feeder and see how he does. Help?! TIA Gretchen Andrews, BA, IBCLC, LLLL private practice, Redlands, CA