In a message dated 8/29/99 12:08:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< There is an LC at the hospital (few hours, though) and she has been working
 to get across to the staff that, for some babies, pacifiers can interfere
 with learning to suckle correctly. But the routines are set and protocol
 must be followed. >>

We have been doing hearing tests at our hospital for years. We finally have a
charge nurse in the nursery who is supportive of breastfeeding, so instead of
giving babies bottles of water or formula to get them settled, they actually
go out to mom for feeding. But pacifiers are still seen by most as OK to use.
(It is going to take us a long time to get pacifiers out of the nurseries.)
Some of the nurses used to tell me that the hearing test HAD to be done
before the baby left the hospital because it is on the order sheet. Well,
breastfeeding is also on the order sheet & what is more important, the baby
eating or knowing TODAY if the baby can hear!

The newest computerized machines for hearing tests are much, much better than
the older ones. The babies don't have to be as quiet for the test, although
an active baby does have a lot of interference & often is not able to get a
"pass" on the testing.  I am certainly no expert on the hearing test, but the
way we explain it to parents: earphones are placed over both ears, clicking
noises are sent to each ear separately, and electrodes placed on the infants
shoulder & head receive electrical impulses from the brain (like an EEG). The
machine either gives a "pass" or "refer" to each ear. If "refer" comes up, we
retest the baby in the nursery before discharge or the parents & pediatrician
are notified that further testing by an audiologist is recommended. This is
considered a screening test.

One thing that we are noticing is more parents are complaining when a
pacifier shows up in their baby's mouth. Many are attending our breastfeeding
classes or hearing from other sources that they may interfere with
breastfeeding.  It even showed up on Hollywood Squares (a USA television game
show) as one of the questions. It was something like "What one factor is
known to shorten the period of time that a woman breastfeeds her baby?" The
answer: a pacifier.

Laura Hart, RN,BSN,IBCLC
Winter Park, Florida

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