Cathy:  How sad that you and the parents are having to deal with this.   I'd
ask that doc if he's never had a baby aspirate from a bottle.  The content
of the tube is VERY important bec breastmilk is a biologically act substance
that actually will scavenge foreign bodies from the lungs.  It is very
unlikely that brst milk would cause pneumonia.

At ILCA this year. Dr. Indira Narayannan presented a fantastic preconference
session C "Adding to your bag of tricks:  breastfeeding techniques for less
common situations:  alternative methods of oral feeding."  (July 26, 2000)
In this presentation, she particularly focused on "cup feeding with a
paladi" and said that "in years of exclusively using no bottles in their
hospital NOT A SINGLE BABY HAD DEVELOPED PNEUMONIA DUE TO ASPIRATION. "  My
quotes are from the notes I took while at the conference and I'm fairly sure
that is exactly what she said.  She doesn't have a detailed outline in her
presentation, but the tapes are available.  Her presentation came from her
own orginal research pending publication.  Here are the two references she
provided in the  objectives section although I'm not sure of their direct
relevance, there may be something in them to help you:

Widstrom AM, Marchinin G, Mattiesen AS, et al.  (1988).  "Non-nutritative
sucking in tube fed preterm infants" J. Pediatr Gastroent Nutr. 7:517-23.

Naryanan, I, Mehta R, Choudhury DK and Jain BK  (1991).  "Sucking on the
"emptied" breast":  Non nutritive sucking with a difference."  Arch Dis
Child; 66:241-4.

There is another great reference in a wonderful book :
Woolridge, MW (1995) "Baby controlled bf:  Biocuotural Implications.  in
'Stuart-Macadam, P and Dettwyler, K (eds) BREASTFEEDING: BIOCULTURAL
PERSPECTIVES.  NY:  Aldine de Gruyter.

There are many other fingerfeeding references available.  Let me know if you
need them, but I think you need support right now for hospital policy for
non-bottle feeding and Naryanan's presentation tape would give it to you.

Good luck and hang in there!
--
--Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC    [log in to unmask]
INFANT CUISINE AND MOTHER CARE: Lactation Consulting, Perinatal Health
Education and Attachment Parenting Classes for parents and practitioners

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