Barbara--
I appreciate your comments on the usefulness of bottle teats, pacifiers and
nipple shields. I'm becoming far less dogmatic about things. I know I've
"lost" mothers because they just couldn't cope with cup feeding or using a
syringe and I'd scared them off bottles (because I worried using the
artificial nipple might create more problems and make things worse).

I'm NOT as skilled at helping with the very difficult cases as I'd like to
be, but since I'm the only show in town (in the area), I do the best I can
to keep breastfeeding going. While I will never casually suggest using the
bottle or a nipple shield, I now do so when I can see that without something
easier, the mother is just not going to make it.

Dads often are very frantic about using alternative methods--they just want
to get some food into the kid and don't want to mess around with cups or
other things. (However, I saw a lovely video yesterday done by Carole
Elliott in Calgary of a dad cup-feeding. He is so tender and wonderful with
this baby the tears were coming while I watched.)

Leslie Ayre-Jaschke, BEd, IBCLC
Peace River Breastfeeding Clinic
Peace River Alberta, Canada