Hi Listmates.
   I encountered the strangest thing last night and need to share and/or ask
for advice. The nurses I work with are pretty good about finger feeding a
baby (even with me initiating it first) with a poor suck ,especially if Mom
is nursing.
   Presently we have a mom who is pumping because she has difficult breasts
(very flat nipples) and the baby is totally uninterested in sucking much of
anything. Two nights ago, I went in and assessed the baby's
latch/suck/swallow. I had Mom pump and I fingerfed. The baby still had a poor
suck. I told her to continue pumping (if the baby wouldn't latch) and we
would continue to FF. Anyway, to make a long story short, the nurse in
question said she fingerfed the baby the colostrum and then NIPPLE FED the
supplemental formula. I was so astounded, I almost didn't know what to say. I
tried to explain that nippling this baby at all was going to make the problem
last even longer. She looked at me like I had three heads. It was then that
it dawned on me that she really had no clue about the differences in the
physiology of the suck,etc.
   Any advice would be very helpful. I am going through my Riordan and
Auerbach book today to see if I can find some appropriate citations that I
can have ready by the time I go back to work on Thursday.
   I guess the reason I am so surprised is that this is the first time I have
actually had someone not FF all nutrition is the baby isn't sucking. It never
dawned on me that someone would think it's okay to use the bottle when we're
already FF'ing a baby with a suck problem. This is NOT a lazy nurse who is
unsupportive.
   HELP!!!!!!!!! and thanks, everyone.

Betsy R.N.C.,CLC

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