I am sure that whether or not the peridontal syringe is adequate for
supplementation at the breast depends on the situation.  I would think it
would be fine for the purpose of injecting a little supplement periodically,
to coax the baby to keep sucking, but I would not think it would be that
great for providing more than a half ounce or so of supplement at a time.
Before the invention of the Lact-Aid, this was used quite often by adoptive
mothers (in western countries).  However, I would not advise it for adoptive
mothers, or any other mothers, who need to do a significant amount of
supplementing.  These mothers, and babies, need to be able to relax and
settle in during feeds, and trying to keep injecting supplement into the
baby's mouth, periodically, would work against that. Also, how well a baby
will tolerate having it stuck into his mouth varies greatly, from baby to
baby.  Even some newborns can be very fussy about such things!

My only experience with the Starter SNS is with trying to help a few
adoptive mothers who only had it, and trying to use it with my fifth adopted
baby, Joseph, who was seven months old at the time.  By the time I was asked
to try it out, by a Medela distributor, I had spent a total of about seven
years nursing adopted babies, about half of which I was using a
supplementer.  I'd had tons of experience with the Lact-Aid, but quite a bit
with the regular SNS too.  I couldn't see how the Starter SNS was good for
anything but providing a little supplement, on an inconsistent basis.  I
think the most useful thing to do with a Starter SNS, where alot of
supplement was needed, would be to take off the top, cut the tube off of it,
get a standard bottle nipple and ring, thread the tube through the nipple
hole, positioned so that one end hangs down into the bottle, and the other
extends out through the top. It is used top up, rather than inverted, like
with the Starter SNS, and gives you something that operates on the same
order as the Supply Line.

Of course, to put the cost into a Starter SNS and then only use the tube is
not very cost efficient!  I have never seen a 5 French feeding tube (which
Jack Newman recommends for making a lactation aid), and would guess that it
is somewhat stiffer than the Lact-Aid tubing, but I would think that this
would produce a reasonably good supplementer, especially for temporary use.
Jack recommends enlarging the hole of a standard feeding nipple, and
sticking the tube down into the bottle that way.  However, a more secure
device can be made by threading the tube through the small, existing hole in
the nipple, without enlarging it.  This can be accomplished by either
threading the tube through a needle with a large hole (a rug needle is
perfect for this) or sticking a crochet hook through the nipple hole and
grabbing the tube and pulling it through.  The small latex nipples that most
hospital nurseries use are perfect for this, because a tight hole in latex
will grab the tube so that it can be tugged on a fair amount without being
dislodged.  The bottle can then be stuck into the middle of the mother's
bra, or put into some kind of bag (a plastic sandwich bag, with the top
twisted around the top of the bottle and secured, will do fine), which can
be attached to the mother's clothing with a clip or pin, or have some kind
of neck cord attached to it.

It is also possible to make a supplementer with a standard disposable bottle
bag and a tube of some kind, by positioning an end of the tube in the bottom
of the bag and using a rubber band or clip to close the top and hold onto
the tube.  The tube will not be as secure as through a latex nipple, but
will be easier to attach to the mother's clothing.  A two-sided supplementer
can be made with a plastic bag and set of double tubing from the standard
SNS.

There are lots of things that can be used for supplementation at the breast.
  However, for long-term, frequent use, especially where a mother needs to
be able to get set up to nurse without help, like in the majority of
adoptive situations, I still recommend the Lact-Aid.  It is the most
dependable, functional, convenient, device, which has the best track record
for helping adoptive mothers (and others who need alot of supplementation)
to establish and maintain a long-term nursing relationship, and significant
milk supply.

Darillyn Starr






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