I use this all the time, especially when it is probably going to be a
temporary aid.  It would be tough to use long-term.  I usually use a gavage
tube attached to a syringe, rather than put in a bottle, although that works
great.  It's just that syringes are usually really available where I work,
and gavage tubes are not 36 inches long.  I stick a piece of tape with a
tail around the barrel so it can be pinned onto Mom's blouse.  If the baby
has a good suck, no pressure on the barrel is necessary.
I used this today on a baby with a unilateral cleft lip and palate
(including the soft palate) and it worked well as long as the tubing was
underneath the nipple.
The long tubing that is silastic is $13.00 per tube, which is prohibitive,
but there is a much cheaper one that is pretty firm but works well at about
$1.75.  Plus the syringe it comes out to about $2.50 - $3.00.
Check with your local hospital's purchasing agent or central distribution to
find out where you can get it.
Hope this helps.
Deanne, R.N. IBCLC
NICU

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