Dear Lactnetters,

I saw a mom last Friday, who has stopped nursing now due to baby's wierd
suck.  Yes, her nipples were a mess.  Baby would start to suck, then push
nipple (or my finger) out of his mouth.  Baby was 2 weeks old.

I showed mom how to do suck retraining with baby on his tummy, finger in
mouth.  In just the time I was there, baby's suck improved dramatically.
Baby could nurse without hurting mom.

The problem?  Mom has long, beautifully sculpted nails.  The expensive
kind.  No way was mom going to cut one so that she could stick a finger
into baby's mouth.  (I didn't meet dad).  She never actually told me that
she wouldn't cut a nail, she just didn't.

My question:  Can a pacifier be used for suck retraining in this situation?
Could anything else be used?  Mom never did answer the phone when I
called over the weekend, so I couldn't work with her about her problem.
I had to hear from her LLL leader, who had also been working with her, that
she had quit. (Thanks, Lisa, for letting me know).

Anybody ever use a pacifier for suck retraining?

Margie Forrest, RN, BSN, IBCLC, beating my head against a wall (again) in
WPB, FL