as time goes by: If I suspect that an infant is sucking ineffectively, instead of using my finger I will have the parent use theirs ( I have her describe to me what they feel and they do reall well)----(1) the glove/latex issue is nill,(2) it reinforces to the mom why her baby does not breastfeed well (now she knows it is not her fault). (3) then the mom will be able to sense progress. The majority of the times most infants outgrow their different sucking patterns if they are fed and they gain weight. I also tell mom's that until they can give their babies an A+ for breastfeeding they need to breastpump after feeds. as time goes by-- I am not convinced that my finger needs to be the one in an infants mouth (glove or ungloved)and as stated in many of the other posts we must be respectfull of the infant and of a mothers ability to read her infant. Karen Querna, RN, BSN, IBCLC Spokane, WA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html