I primarily work with families in the immediate postpartum period in a hospital setting. Fingerfeeding is useful with the baby who bunches up and/or pushes with his tongue. These kids keep falling off the breast. We can get the mouth open and achieve a good latch, and even after pulling down on the chin, the kid seems to be off in less than a minute. I go for the low-tech method of placing a syringe beside the finger instead of a SNS or feeding tube. It does take some coordination to apply very light pressure to the barrel and coordinate with the suck and swallow (although I am able to feel suction from the baby's suck). A big advantage of this method is that it is inconvenient. I do tell families that fingerfeeding is just a tool and work to get the kid latched on efficiently. When I make my follow-up telephone calls, I generally am told that the baby is breastfeeding O.K. The neonatologist is the only physician who objects to fingerfeeding. Becky Engel, RN, IBCLC Athens, GA