I use suck training but not in the first 24 hours.  The baby needs as many
opportunities to establish the feel of mom's nipple and learn the sucking on
their own in that first day.  If this does not appear to be effective then
interventions need to be introduced.
Now what I have to deal with is the introduction of bottles early so having
the parent use a finger does not have that much impact.  (This is another
story.)
I like to encourage the mother to use her finger to help calm a baby.  The
assumption in the early days that the crying baby means they are hungry.
Granted they do like to suck but many times not eat.  Also a crying baby is very
difficult to get to latch.
Just yesterday I saw a mother who was 26 hours post c-section, had breastfeed
4x since birth and allowed 2 bottles to be given.  She had just nursed 2
hours before I walked in and now the baby was screaming.  He was not interested in
going to breast so I instructed the mother to use her finger to calm the
baby.  She told me he was biting her.  I picked him up and walked a while then we
tried again.  Repeat of the crying occured, mom tried her finger and again
biting.  I then moved him to her chest and he calmed and went to sleep.  I told
the mother that eating was the last thing on this baby's mind and biting was
his way of telling her that.
I would not recommend that parents use their fingers in place of the baby's
need to eat but it does have a place for the disorganized suck and calming.
Ann Perry RN, IBCLC
Boston, MA

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