Date:    Tue, 14 Oct 1997 20:35:24 -0700
 From:    "Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC" <[log in to unmask]>


 The best study I know of that documents a physiological basis for nipple
 confusion is Blass, EM: "Behavioral and physiological consequences of
 suckling in rat and human newborns."  Acta Paediatr Suppl 397:71(6),  1994,
p71-76.
         This study takes advantage of the fact that infant rats have a
 behavioral response to nursing, which can be suppressed by blocking a
 certain class of opiod receptor in the brain.  The scientists opened the
 mother's uterus 12 hours before the pups were due to be born, and  offered
them either milk, water, or human abm, through either an  eyedropper or a
rubber nipple.  They exhibited the behavioral response  only when receiving
milk (bovine light cream, I beleive, which the
 researchers say is close in composition to rat milk).  BUT, when they  were
given the milk through the rubber nipple, they subsequently showed  that
behavioral response when given the rubber nipple alone.  This means  that
they generalized the neurochemical response to milk plus rubber  nipple to
rubber nipple alone after ONE exposure to the coupled  stimulus.  The authors
suggest that more caution should be used in  exposing human infants,
particularly vulnerable preterm infants, to the
 abm plus artificial nipple combination.
         I encourage everyone to read this important study. I find it
 interesting that the research was done in the US (in NY no less) and
published in the Scandinavian peds journal!
 --
 Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC  mailto:[log in to unmask] >>