My guess is that the mother's nipple diameter (and maybe nipple length) are
overwhelming this small, pre-term infant.  The nipple must be compressed in
half in order to strip milk from the breast, and a thick or meaty nipple may
be beyond the baby's strength to compress.  Additionally, if the diameter is
too large, the baby's lip tone may be too poor to seal off around it.  The
smaller diameter of the bottle teat may be easier for the baby's lips to
seal off around.  If you can't seal, you can't suck.  If you can't compress,
you can't 'milk'.  If the length of the teat constantly triggers a gag
response, it's hard to get excited about trying.  These "fit" are a problem.



Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
http://www.lactnews.com

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