Suzanne B. says, "I cannot remember the last time I used finger feeding
method as I see it as rude and invasive."
I wonder if your perception has to do with the way the finger feeding is
done. I know I was/am appalled at the Medela video on using the Hazelbaker
FingerFeeder. In every single example, the caregiver is just shoving the
finger into baby's closed or barely open mouth. I have never done it that way,
nor do I advocate bottle-feeding done that way. Whenever I teach parents
these supplementation methods, I always instruct them to gently brush the finger
or bottle-nipple down over the center of the lips (nose to chin) ONCE, and
then back up and wait. They are to wait for the baby to open mouth WIDE, not
just a little bit. If, after a significant pause, baby has not opened WIDE,
then they can brush down once again. I teach that they just have to wait for
that wide-open mouth and I tell them that the wide-open mouth is the baby's
invitation in. If they force their way into baby's mouth, baby is not ready
and caregiver is being rude.
I had this validated by a mother whom I taught my bottle-feeding method
because she was going back to work. Although she worked in a day-care
center, she thought she would not be allowed to be with her baby for feedings,
since she worked in an "older" room. She intended to teach the worker
responsible for her baby my system of bottle-feeding so that their breastfeeding
relationship was less likely to be harmed. Well, it turned out that this mother
actually was able to go to her own child whenever he needed to be fed. But she
called me to thank me for teaching her about waiting and "the invitation."
She said there was a different baby there, also breastfed when at home, who
had just started in daycare and was absolutely refusing his bottle. She saw
how the day-care worker was going about it, and she stopped the worker and
told her about the invitation. When the day-care worker stopped pushing, and
put the baby in charge of when he eats as he is during breastfeeding, the baby
readily accepted his bottle.
Supplementiong in any manner can be done rudely, or it can be done in a
manner respecting the baby's wishes and readiness. I believe this is true
for fingerfeeding as well.
Dee
Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC, RLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA
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