In a message dated 12/5/00 1:31:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< Katherine,  how do you instruct parents to dropper feed?  It seems as if
 when  the baby is sucking on the dropper, >>


Oh dear, you're right, sucking on the dropper wouldn't be helpful at all:)
When I do it and have parents do it, I just hold baby as you would for a cup
feed, but just drop the milk in very slowly without the dropper touching the
mouth.  Sometimes I touch the dropper to baby's bottom lip or top lip to get
an open mouth, but usually, by the time it's resorting to this, baby is
already crying, so baby's mouth is already open. Parents seem to prefer it
because, well, I don't know.....it seems easier to them?  neater?  I'm not
sure.

I do know that with the last 'emergency' I had (nipple confusion...6 day old
went back and forth between breast and bottle 'beautifully' for three days,
then refused to nurse for the next three...would only take the bottle), I
encouraged the parents to stop bottle feeds asap, and to feed expressed milk
via dropper by simply dripping the milk very slowly in baby's mouth - a
couple drops at a time, waiting till baby swallowed before dripping more in.
I arrived at their house shortly to find dad and mom sitting on the sofa with
baby....mom dropper feeding the baby, dad holding the nippleless bottle of
milk.  Mom was doing it just 'perfectly' and had only had the briefest of
phone instruction....and this while she was hysterical in tears.  Somehow the
other alternative methods seem a slight bit more cumbersome in comparison to
this.

Took several days to get baby back to breast.....mom and dad had a really
hard time hearing that this was 'nipple confusion' since the LC at the
hospital said there was no such thing and that even if there was, there baby
wasnt' at risk for it because he was nursing so well, and going so well back
and forth between breast and bottle.  Ugh.

katherine in atl

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