Ginny - for the person who is asking about different types of pacifiers for
babies in the NICU - with respect, why not try the real thing instead of a
dummy - the mother's breast???? In our Neonatal Units babies are fed by
nasogastric tube until they are well enough or big enough to start learning
how to breastfeed, then mothers are encouraged to breastfeed first and top
up with EBM via NGT (if the baby is still sick/small) or by cup and spoon if
the baby is able to swallow. If the mother cannot be there (rare, because
this is seen as *important*) or during the night, the nurses feed mother's
own stored EBM via tube or spoon until the morning. Babies who don't have
mom just do without sucking. Our nursing staff would have a fit if anyone
brought a dummy into the NNU.
Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe