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