This is a plea for information from any of you who have experience with chiropractic care and/or CST as an intervention to help newborns who are having breastfeeding problems. Please consider the following case: 18 day old baby boy, full term. Labor was induced with pitocin. He was delivered with forceps "sunny side up" (posterior). I never saw this baby until this consult, so the history prior to that is from the parents. He had noticeable molding & caput for at least one week. He never latched on in the hospital. The staff tried using the SNS & all kinds of positioning changes and finally sent her home with a breast shield. She was also pumping and finger feeding. His birth weight was 6#4oz; lowest weight was 5#9oz; weight at 17 days is 6#0 and has not gained or lost for 5 days. Mother says he breastfeeds every 1 to 1 1/2 hours for 10 min with the shield. She has tried to wean him off the shield without success. Her baby's care provider told her she has to feed baby 2 oz of soy formula after every breastfeed (he never observed the baby at breast or assessed her breasts) When I saw this mom and baby, he looks very thin, but has good tone, alert, moist mucous membranes, appropriate licking & rooting. Observed them breastfeed (tried all kinds of variations of football & clutch holds on right & left breasts). Baby makes a good deep-appearing latch, takes 3-5 sucks & pulls off. Mom expressed some milk into his mouth and also compressed and massaged her breast just prior to latch on, but he still wouldn't stay on. I watched them breastfeed with the shield, and he didn't even draw her nipple or any breastmilk into the shield when he sucked. Next we tried the SNS to see if milk flow would keep him latched on, and same story--maybe 5-8 sucks at most. He just didn't seem settled or comfortable at breast, but he never cried or resisted or shut down. Finally mom finnger fed him and he took almost 2 oz over about 15 min-no problem. The other problem is mom's milk supply is really low-she was able to pump 10 cc from both breasts (this was pumping with electric pump+warm moist heat to breasts+massage & breast compression). Mom is, of course, heartbroken, feeling guilty, desperately wants to breastfeed......... My dilemma is this. I have never been to a chiropractor so I don't know much about chiropractic care or cranial sacral therapy. I have heard that this may be helpful in some infants who have breastfeeding problems. Would posterior delivery, use of forceps, head molding & unsettled behavior at breast be indications? I'm thinking that, if mom's reduced milk supply was the cause of baby's not staying latched, then increasing the milk flow with the SNS would have helped him to stay on (he actually did some audible and visible swallowing at breast with the SNS). Could anyone suggest where this might fit into the decision tree/ plan of care for this type of situation? I did recommend the usual interventions for low milk supply/ latch on problems, including q3h formula supplements (at breast if possible) until mom's milk supply increases. Since this family does see a chiropractor, I suggested that they discuss this with him and ask if he had any suggestions (This was not a professional referral). When she went to the "weigh-in" today, she somehow mentioned the chiropractor to the baby Dr (a D.O.) and he went ballistic. He says the baby needs to go on formula PERIOD!!!!!!!Still no observation of feeding or assessment of her breasts. I'm looking forward to hearing anything that will help me become more knowledgeable about the place of chiropractic care in breastfeeding situations. Thanks! Amy Mueller, BSN, RN, IBCLC Traverse City, MI [log in to unmask]