Thank you all for your suggestions and personal and professional stories in response to my post about the baby who is just not interested in suckling. She was severely suctioned at birth and seems to continue to have something of an oral defensiveness. The OT whom I use is out of town until Wed. of this week and baby was continuing to not eagerly suck, so I decided to have mom give some milk in a bottle to see if we could create an interest. Another reason was that there were several family events that mom didn't feel she could handle with pumping and spoon feeding. I was fearing that I was "losing" her. She had missed a lot of activities and was rather "low" about that. Baby is drawing the teat into her mouth, keeping her tongue down, and is opening her mouth better now. I've talked to the Ped and the parents about the OT and we will pursue that when she returns. We've followed some of the suggestions that you have made, but I believe that baby's mouth is not ready to effectively approach the breast yet. She doesn't "go after" either the teat or mom's nipple yet. I haven't seen the baby since Saturday and mom says that baby is opening wider and seems more eager than before. She keeps asking me for assurance that we are going the right direction and that she will, in fact, go to breast. She is offering the breast before, during, and after feeding, but never to any frustration. Sometimes baby just sits there with her mouth on the nipple, and I tell her that that is fine, because she likes to be there. She had a dip in her milk supply at the end of last week and was having a challenge to pump enough, but More Milk came to the rescue and she has plenty now. Baby had a great weight check on Friday, which boosted everyone's spirits. She is happy, responsive, and gives great smiles. After the work with the OT, I plan to have mom return to spoon feeding or cup feeding. I'm betting on baby's having enjoyed sucking so that she will then want to latch onto the breast when there is no teat. I know that she would go to breast in time anyway, but mom is a teacher and I would like for her to have some good relaxed breastfeeding before she has to return to work in the fall. I will keep you posted. Patricia Gima, IBCLC Milwaukee mailto:[log in to unmask]