There is such a thing as nipple confusion! I believe that the term is
often misused or another word would be appropriate. I know that any baby
will go back to the breast after bottles. The problem is that most women
don't have the patience to do it. Most women don't like to hear their
new babies cry. The moms often feel that they're hurting their baby by
making them take the breast. I don't think anyone here would disagree
that babies take the breast best when nothing else has been introduced.
Often mothers find that babies don't latch as well after a bottle feed.
The American society in particular is so convinced that breastfeeding
doesn't work. If the baby doesn't latch moms often feel,  "Oh well, I'll
just bottle feed." Rarely will a mom pump for more than a couple of
months. Pumping breast milk and then feeding with a bottle is double
duty. Who wants to do that? In many hospitals bottles are a part of the
routine. If it takes the term nipple confusion to convince a nurse not
to use a bottle for a normal, healthy, full-term baby, then I say use
it. Sometimes bottles are necessary but often they are over-used and
unnecessary. Our job as LLLL,CLE,PC,IBCLC,and any other person that
wants to help, is to get the baby on the breast.
I have wanted to post on a topic related for a while now. I know of many
midwives who won't refer to LC's in their area anymore. The midwives
often have patients that are given formula by LC's (just in case). They
also have patients that are finger feeding or bottle feeding EBM for
months. In my opinion we are to facilitate BREASTFEEDING from the
BREAST! I do use finger feeding , bottles, SNS, etc. but only for a
short time. I know that most of you use gadgets very carefully, as
represented by the nipple shield thread.(By the way, I found that thread
enlightening. I've never used a shield but I might consider it now, in
special cases.) Unfortunately in this field of lactation we will never
agree on everything. In that light. I don't think breastmilk should be
associated with bottles. We are mammals, we feed our young from the
breast.
Mimi