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In misc.kids.breastfeeding, Anna <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I am posting this on behalf of a friend who is a breastfeeding counsellor. Her
>and some fellow counsellors in the area have been having problems with *term*
>babies who were cup fed (a method designed to avoid nipple confusion in babies
>who cannot breastfeed at first, but who's mothers hope to do so when the baby is
>better). Unfortuately, these babies now refuse to feed from *any* nipple, be it
>breast, bottle or SNS. One poor woman has been forced to cup feed and another
>has managed to get her baby to take the bottle after weeks of struggling to get
>him to take anything other than the cup.

>The problem seems to be in the way the babies are feeding from the cup. Premie
>babies lap the milk from the cup like a kitten, and cup fed premies seem to
>easily graduate to breastfeeding. The term babies that have the problem seem
>to be drinking from the cup by sucking the milk up, and not lapping. This seems
>to be the root of the problem. It then seems that the babies do not realise that
>milk can come from a nipple and although they will happily latch on to the
>breast, they will not suck and seem clueless as to how to get the milk out.
>So far, they have tried an SNS, syringing milk into the baby's mouth as it is
>latched on and all the other techniques to persuade a baby to suck - so far
>without success. At present, the only near success has been that a baby who was
>formerly cup fed, and has now learned to suck at a bottle (after weeks of
>coaxing) and is gradually being introduced to the breast. He will at least
>suck, but is likely to have nipple confusion so he doesn't suck at the breast
>very effectively.

>This is an urgent problem, as my friends have been recommending local hospitals
>to cup feed all babies who cannot breastfeed to avoid nipple confusion, with the
>intention that the mothers can breastfeed later. If there really is such a thing
>as "cup confusion", we need to know about it.

>If you have experienced this problem, or are a breastfeeding counsellor who has
>come across it, please email me ASAP. I would like this problem to be put to
>the people on the breastfeeding mailing lists, but am not subscribed, so if you
>are on the lists, please forward my question.


J.Rachael Hamlet
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Visit The Breastfeeding Advocacy Page at
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