Carol,

Wow this NICU needs some education. This situation sounds all too
familiar, jarring some not so fond memories of my work in the NICU.

To my knowledge there are no studies that document the perception that
bottle feeding is easier than breastfeeding.  There are many papers by
P. Meijer which address the  preterm infant's ability to breastfeed.
One such study commonly referred to is:   Meier, P and Anderson, G.
Responses of small preterm infants to bottle and breastfeeding. MCN:
American Journal of Maternal-child Nursing. 1987:12,PP. 97-105.

Some nurses seem convinced that bottle feeding is much more difficult
because that is the premise passed on thru years of non-research based
practice, IMHO. Sometimes it takes one good breastfeeding premie example
for them to see with their own eyes to impact their opinions.
Hope this helps
Cathy Carnaby, RNC, IBCLC