Meema Spadola wrote:
I know this is very early, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any
feedback about Medela's new Calma nipple:
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/594/calma
thanks,
Meema
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Meema, I am definitely unimpressed with them. They are too long and rigid,
and so babies don't learn how to draw in some of the mother's breast as well
as her nipple. These artificial nipples can still flow, even with a baby who
makes an inadequate seal. I've seen it! I can't think of any good use for
them. 
If a mother is already using bottles and teats when she makes an
appointment, I ask her to use 2-3 different types of teats (so that the
mother's breast is the one consistent suck object) and to discontinue the
Calma. (There are one or two other types I discourage.) I also encourage
mothers to interrupt the feed several times so that the baby can catch
her/his breath (and not learn to expect continuous flow), a technique I've
been teaching Mums one-on-one since the mid-1990s.
As an historian, I have come across a lot of different designs over the
years, all with specific claims that owe more to marketing and hope than
reality. Some designs come back with new materials after 20 years, even 150
years, and sink from sight just as their predecessors did. Other claims,
such as "anti-colic" have been applied to an amazing array of designs across
many years.
I wish I had had the sense to buy one really oddly shaped teat at a
conference in 2007, as an example of lack of physiological knowledge by the
designers. I didn't buy it - and I haven't seen it since. I think I have a
photo of it on a slide somewhere. Lesson - take a photo of anything new, in
case it isn't around for long. The next miracle design will be out there, in
its place.
Virginia

Dr Virginia Thorley, OAM, PhD, IBCLC, FILCA 
Brisbane, Qld, Australia 
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