Supporting Botte Skills in the Breast/Chest-fed infant

Susan Howard, RN, MSN, IBCLC

Presentation: Breastfeeding families are often advised to provide medical supplementation via bottles without the benefit of education about bottle feeding in a manner that is protective of breast/chest feeding. Lactation consultants can be excellent resources for nursing families using bottles. Effective bottle skills require

1) a good-fit teat compatible with the baby’s oral anatomy,

2) competent sucking skills,

3) an informed parent/caregiver knowledgeable about bottle feeding.

When families are coached using a skill-building method, babies learn to recognize, accept, and suck effectively with a bottle and the breast. Teaching bottle skills is within the scope of the IBCLC and it can be done in an ethical, code-compliant manner. This program will offer a framework for lactation consultants to incorporate bottle skills into their lactation practice. It will discuss practical skills for supporting bottle-feeding families and the technical skills for improving an infant’s ability to bottle-feed. Novice and seasoned lactation consultants will find the content applicable to practice.

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