In my opinion, based on literature, my and other professionals' experience, anything that is not breast has the potential to harm feeding at breast for some children and for other children (I think they may be the majority) anything is possible and baby will be back at breast at any time without problems. Using other means of feeding and comforting consist of techniwues, structures and consistencies and milkflow or lack of it and all those factors can, alone or in concert, make a child confused or tend to preferring one method above another, either way around.
Putting anything into an infants' mouth that is not a breast should always be done with the most care possible to mimic what baby does, feels and experiences at breast. Method or device is of lesser concern than the way it is used and teached.
Warmly,
Gonneke, IBCLC in PP, LC lecturer in southern Netherlands
--- On Tue, 3/16/10, Deborah S Dowe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Deborah S Dowe <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [LACTNET] benefits of alternative feeding methods
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 1:28 AM
Pat Young wrote...."I think alternative methods depend on what you are trying to accomplish, age
of baby etc. "
Pat,
I am a hospital LC and therefore am primarily interested in newborns and NICU babies. We will use alternative feeding methods to bridge that gap when :
-mothers cannot be in the NICU for a feeding,
-when babies are having a difficult time learning to latch (due to prematurity or the effects of birth interventions)
-when the bili is rising and the Pedi orders supplementation
-when, in spite of reassurance, the mother is convinced "the baby isn't getting anything"
My goal would be to :
#1 Feed the baby!
#2 Preserve the breastfeeding relationship so the baby can transistion back to the breast
#3 Provide the parents with a method that will not disrupt learning to latch but not too cumbersome that the mother will give up completely!
Do you usually recommend one method over another? And, in what circumstances? Are there evidence based studies to recommend a particular method in a certain case?
I tend to lean toward finger feeding but the Pedi's are asking for proof!
Debbie (posting this from home)
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