In respons to Laura's post, below, I thought this link might be of interest. 
It's the website of the late Dr Elsie Mobbs, which is being maintained. She 
also spoke around the world on infant imprinting at birth, and the problem 
of "decoy" objects.

Mammalian imprinting - the mother's nipple vs "decoy objects. Short 
articleby the late Dr Elsie Mobbs, "Latchment before attachment".
http://www.fake.com

Virginia

Dr Virginia Thorley, OAM, PhD, IBCLC, FILCA
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
www.virginiathorley.com

> Laura Wasielewski in Los Angeles wrote:

> I so totally agree! This has absolutely been my experience while
> working NICU. As a rule I find that babies who had frequent kangaroo
> care along with "nuzzling" and "dry" nursing (nursing at a recently
> pumped breast) before they initiated oral feeding were always able to
> latch and nurse with relative ease, even if they also received
> bottles. But babies who had bottles first and then were offered the
> breast had a much, much harder time and often required a nipple
> shield. I've also theorized about the imprinting that must be going on
> in these babies...



> 

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome