I just re-read that technique last week and I'm glad it's come up.  Every
time I try the procedure on myself, it feels quite uncomfortable; I can't
imagine what a baby must think.  Now that I'm reading it again, I see that
the author is suggesting its use for treating tongue thrust.  It's good to
hear it may be helpful for bunching as well.

Here is the description from the LC Series Back to the Breast: Retraining
Infant Suckling Patterns, by Muriel W. Ross, IBCLC, ARRT (1987):

Once the baby has been positioned appropriately, the palm of the mother's
free hand should be used to support the crown of the baby's head.  When the
infant begins suckling improperly, the mother may feel the tongue depress
her index finger through the underside of the baby's jaw.  The LC should ask
the mother to gently but firmly push her index finger upward against the
underside of the baby's jaw.  This counterpressure prohibits the baby from
thrusting his tongue against his gum line.  The baby will react by moving
his entire head against the hand touching the crown of his head.  To counter
this motion, the LC should help the mother anticipate this action, and ask
her to hold the baby's head firmly in position.  Neither heavy pressure from
the mother's index finger nor heavy pressure from the hand at the back of
the baby's head is necessary.  The mother should be cautioned to keep the
index finger froward under the baby's jaw, away from the throat, so that
breathing and swallowing are not hindered in any way.  Consistent use of
this technique of counterpressure may teach the baby to suck without
thrusting against the mother's nipple.

HTH,

Debbie Gillespie
LLLL, IBCLC in 2 days :)

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html