Dear Stephanie,
I am very sorry that you thought my comments were directed to you.  The
discussion of shields has been heated and has gone on for months.  Your
selection of the use of shields (described in your post today) sounds
intuitive and appropriate, although I stand by my statement that use of all
equipment should be deliberate and based on the best clinical evidence one
has.  I have been hollering for years for more discussion of the ethics of
equipment use, and the remark was not intended to imply that you had not
acted ethically. To respond specifically to the problem you describe, a baby
who is having difficulty sensing even the very elongated and firm teat of a
bottle has a problem.  Hopefully it will be outgrown, at which time, it
should not be difficult to transition the baby off the shield.  My remarks
about "belief system science" refer to the tendency  to adhere to long
cherished opinions even when they are not borne out by evidence. It is the
intellectual plague of all disciplines, and really wasn't a personal slam of
you.  I apologize if it seemed so.
Barbara

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Private Practice, Austin, Texas
Owner, Lactnews On-Line Conference Page
http://moontower.com/bwc/lactnews.html