>I am a  very experienced LC in private practice and I've never seen a case of
>nipple confusion in 18 years helping moms and babies breastfeed.  I've helped
>many many babies who have been exclusively bottle fed, many of those for
>over 3 months!  who went easily to the breast and never turned back once
>given the opportunity, good positioning, suck issues resolved, milk supply
>increased...whatever was the problem in the first place.  sorry, but i beg to
>differ.  i can't help it.  250 babies a year and i just have never had it be a
>problem.  if I ever see it, i'll recant and shout it from the roof 
>tops!!  i used to
>believe it too.  I was/am a LLL Leader and preached nipple confusion..but i'm
>convinced there is no such thing!
>
>Renee


You're not alone, Renee.

I think there is a BIG question mark over nipple confusion.

Chloe Fisher and Sally Inch - well-known internationally, but 
practising mainly in the UK - have both written that nipple confusion 
may be a misleading term.


Babies will 'vote for the bottle' when breastfeeding has become 
urewarding for them  and reject the breast.

Make the breast productive and breastfeeding effective, and babies 
will return to the breast.

Babies *do* reject the breast because for whatever reason they have 
had a poor experience at it.

They may not be 'confused' at all.

I have seen many women who have been told their babies are confused, 
and this is very disheartening for them.

This is not a reason to be casual about giving bottles - we know 
giving bottles is an intervention, and it can be hard to reverse, but 
(probably) not because of confusion.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK

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