Nina Berry asked a pertinent question and I hope she is as reassured as I
was by seeing that the situations in which we observe bottle feeds are ones
in which the bottle is already there, not introduced for purposes of
observation by the helper.  I do find it useful to know when mother mentions
that there is a lot of milk leaking out around the bottle teat when she
feeds by bottle, and in some cases of fiercely traumatized nipples, when
parents have resorted to bottles for lack of familiarity with any other
method, I can show them by using the bottle, how to elicit rooting and where
in the baby's mouth a nipple is best aimed, to avoid injury.  I always
encourage mother to offer the breast but if she flinches or starts to cry at
the thought of how painful it is, I sure don't push it, and if I can get
some mileage out of an otherwise bad situation, I will.  (I also make sure
we have a good plan for how to deal with the soreness and a new appointment
in a few days' time at which we can have another go, as I am lucky enough to
be able to offer this.)

Someone (Kathy Eng, was it you?) mentioned the Avent promo materials for the
picture of a baby with lips flanged around the broad base of the Avent
feeding teat, as an example of latch.  If it is the same photo in all
language versions of their brochure, there is a photo right next to it
showing a baby with a breast in its mouth, miserable latch, or actually not
a latch at all, just that someone managed to snap a picture while baby had
its lips around the nipple.  I am reasonably sure the baby at the breast is
not feeding, merely having its picture taken.  And the baby with the bottle
in its mouth has wide eyes that look frightened and stressed - it looks like
they shoved the bottle as far into the baby's mouth as they could, again for
photographic purposes, to show that the Avent nipple is 'just like the
breast' which we all know it isn't.  My then 17 year old son said, when he
saw that line in the brochure which I was critically evaluating word by
word, 'well, the poor guy who wrote that sure hasn't seen any real breasts!'
I know my son has seen at least two and they would never be mistaken for an
Avent teat.  My TMI meter is going off now so I better stop.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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