Anne Williams wrote:
"I remember being appauled 9years ago following a Lacatation Educator who
donned a glove, before she introduced herself to each new mother and baby.
She stuck her finger in the baby's mouth quickly and roughly 'to see what
was
going on'.  I felt harrassed just being in the room, imagine the disregard
the baby must have felt.  As the years have passed, my assessments have
become more visual, but on that rare occassion, I have felt the need to do a
digital exam.  NO MORE!"


Interestingly,  I had the opposite experience, after having the pleasure of
hearing Chele Marmet speak in Tel Aviv the past two days.
I previously thought that sticking a finger in baby's mouth is intrusive and
can aggravate problems and cause oral aversion.
After hearing Chele speak and observing her in a consult where the baby's
oral anatomy had a direct impact on the mother's problem, I am now convinced
that it is often an important tool for evaluation of problems, and some
problems can be overlooked in the absence of an oral digital exam.
Obviously "quickly and roughly" is not the way to do it, and it is a skill
that needs to be learned, practiced and improved over time, but it now seems
to me that a good LC should be able to know the feel of different types of
palates and their impact on the baby's suck, and this can only be done by
sticking fingers in babies' mouths (gently!).

Yael Wyshogrod IBCLC
Rechovot, Israel

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