I hope you don't take this as "heat" but as I have experienced nipple confusion/preference in a big way, & I have referred to my experiences before, I know that artificial nipples can interfere with breastfeeding.Also,there have been studies that have shown that "pacifier /dummy use shortens breastfeeding duration while contributing to dental malocclusion....breastfeeding rate at 4 months was 91% in the nonpacifier group and 44% in the pacifier group." [Facts about Breastfeeding, 1998, La Leche League] I would think that this is relevant to the use of bottles also. You do further qualify by referring to the availability of "high quality support" - obviously, this would be a factor in the success of breastfeeding should a nipple confusion problem arise - however, I don't believe that high quality support is available everywhere (do any of us?) and further, the mother may not choose to seek out such help. I am trying hard to understand that nipple shields have their place with premature babies and thorough support but I would like to see follow-up studies regarding duration of breastfeeding. I did meet a woman years ago who was still breastfeeding a 10 month old with a shield, certainly not the ideal. Deborah Sowery-Quinn Canada _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html