Our hospital policy is based on Baby Friendly and therefore if a baby needs
comps or EBM then they are finger fed or cup fed.  While they're in
hospital this is my preferred method because they are still 'breastfeeding'
mothers. They avoid the comments or the feeling that 'the baby takes the
bottle so well', so I think they psychologically stay as breastfeeding
mothers, regardless of what is in the bottle. And very often, while in
hospital, its only a feed or two, or maybe for a day that the baby is off
the breast (or being comped).
Once they go home and are still needing this type of intervention I suggest
either cup feeding or bottle feeding with a long, rounded-end teat (the
Cannon Babysafe, not the silicone one - to be precise).  Noble and Bovey
did some research on this teat (published in Breastfeeding Review, I think)
and found it to be suitable.  I'm not sure if that particular teat is
available whereever you are, but basically it's just an ordinary teat but
long enough to reach the junction of the hard and soft palate.
I don't like to send parents home with anything they may perceive to be
'complicated'.  And if they're already expressing every feed and coping
with damaged nipples or whatever it is that has taken the baby off the
breast then, if the results are similar I don't have a problem with using
the bottle in this manner.

Denise
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Denise Fisher, BN, RM, IBCLC
BreastEd Online Lactation Studies Course
http://www.breasted.com.au
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