Hello Barbara: Thankyou for your valuable infomation regarding the genetics, tools, and oral damage. You wonder if feeding tubes and breathing apparatus do more damage than pacifiers, well I think that is a difficult one to answer too! I am sure they play a big part though! Perhaps it is important to mention that when a baby is intubated and on a respirator, the endotracheal tube is in most cases guided through the nasal orifice, and therefore doesn't have direct contact with the palate and tongue (in the oral cavity). With the introduction of a naso gastric feeding tube, the case is generally the same. Except if the patient is not on a respirator and needs the nasal room to breath more efficiently, but this, "as a rule" is more short term. Although the swallowing ability of a patient with an in situ naso gastric tube/endotracheal tube is impaired it doesn't prevent the tongue from touching the roof of the mouth. I was very interested to hear about you using air/gel filled pacifiers to do "push-ups" As far as I know these are not available in Switzerland. Would be interested to know where I could procure these! Would it be possible for you to mail me privately? Thanks again for all this interesting material. Kerri Frischknecht RN, RM, IBCLC. *********************************************** 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