Haberman Feeders...Anyone used them??

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just wondering if any of you ladies have used the haberman feeders, i think they are manufactured by medla (sp?) and called special needs feeders now?

I watched the baby whisperer a while ago, and for that reason, despite having no reason to think my baby has any special needs, was considering using them for the milk i express as OH wants to give at least one feed a day. Baby whisperer seemed to commend them as the best bottle for using whilst breast feeding too, as baby has to actually suck the milk, not just allow to dribble into mouth.?!

Anyone with any experience/ opinions on them? Be very grateful! thanks.

No direct experience but are you sure you are not referring to something also made by Medela called a soft cup feeder?

It's worth bearing in mind that the rate of flow (and hence how hard a baby has to suck) is only one factor in possible breast/bottle confusion. Another is that the way a baby latches on to a breast is totally different from the way they shape their mouth around a bottle - whatever a bottle or teat manufacturer tries to tell you.

Mine arrived yesterday (also having watched baby whisperer - have not tried it yet - definately is a Haberman feeder mde by Medela

Ah, thats interesting Lizzytee. Being a first time mum, its hard to get into the habit of not believing EVERYTHING you read!!

BCLass - Interesting, when is you baby due... Soon i hope, so you can be my Guinea pig and let me know how you get on I've got 9 weeks to go!

I too would not use a haberman feeder. However, to give EBM i would use the Medela Softcup as this has no risk of leading to nipple confusion.

Yes, i used one with a baby i cared for with a cleft lip and gum.

The teat was longer and you can gently squeeze the teat reseviour to help the milk out when baby is sucking and not when they are resting as forming a seal was impossible for him until his corrective operation at 4.5months.

The medela special needs feeder (formally haberman feeder) is similar to a regular bottle in that it has a teat (unlike the soft cup feeder). It's different from a normal bottle though because you can select a 'zero flow' option where a baby has to work harder to get the milk out unlike a normal bottle where the milk just flows out. It has 2 other faster options which are obviously useful for special needs babies who are unable to suck. It's on the zero flow option that it does the job of supposedly minimizing breast/bottle confusion.
Although it doesn't solve the problem of nipple confusion for a young baby and you should still wait until a good latch is established (perhaps 6 weeks), if you know that you want to mix bottles and breast in the longer term I think it can help minimize flow confusion. It's not uncommon for a baby who has had regular experience of bottles to start to find the breast annoying and get frustrated after the first letdown is finished and they need to milk the breast a bit harder. Some mums of older babies start to feel baby 'prefers the bottle' etc.
I don't think the special needs feeder is a miracle cure but if I was speaking to a mother who knew she wanted to give a bottle of ebm once a day I would certainly suggest she give it a go. It's not cheap and looks a bit weird but I think it's also positive that a baby has to work a bit harder for milk (one of the reasons a recent study has found links with bfing and increased lung capacity in children).
An alternative to the medela special needs feeder is 'breastflow' which is around online and in larger shops. I haven't used this personally though but have known someone who thought it was fab. It has 2 chambers and is designed to ensure baby also had to work a bit harder as they might at the breast. It looks a bit more like a normal bottle and is a bit cheaper.
If you want to give ebm to a younger baby then I would try the soft cup feeder. Bear in mind though that any expressing at the beginning can affect the way your milk supply adjusts and if you were to give a bottle of ebm the interval when you are not feeding from the breast could have a negative affect on your supply or make you more prone to blocked ducts or even mastitis. It's best to hang on for the first few weeks if you can so your milk supply really gets the best chance to sort itself out and meet your baby's needs.

Have been doing a little googling but am none the wiser as to what TBW says re this bottle. Can you help me out?

I'm just a little puzzled as to why a specialised (and therefore expensive) feeding bottle is being recommended for non-special needs situations. I also remain sceptical about any claim that any bottle or teat is "like a breast" or "closer to nature" - these kinds of claims have been made for many, many years and tend not to have any real justification like er, actual research. Unfortunately I would put any recommendation of this sort by any baby "expert" (you name them) into this category.

(and I stress, no implied criticism in the above of anyone who has used one of these bottles, for whatever reason)

Baby whisperer scoffs on idea of 'nipple confusion' but says she does agree with concept of 'flow confusion'. She advocates 'variflow feeders' in her books and referred to the haberman on a TV programme.

I completely agree with you that bottles describing themselves as 'like a breast' are in a very dodgy category but I DO think there are some babies who don't move easily between breast and bottle and these 'harder' bottles can help a bit.

Thanks SJM, now I understand.

Hi,

I think the Baby Whisperer is great...and I ordered the DVD on the net from the US but it is only an introduction so I was left 'hanging on' as it didn't get into the meaty stuff that the book has. Therefore, I can't believe the whole thing is on Sky...and I can't believe that I have missed it!!! I know that this is a huge ask....but is there anybody out there who has recorded it, who wouldn't mind putting onto a disc for me? I would be eternally grateful as am desperate to see it.

i used the haberman feeders as a baby, apparently - my mum still has them i was born with cleft palate and she reckons that it was the only way to get anything in me

before they got these they used 'goats teats' - veterinary equipment lol!

grateful, do you have Discovery Home & Health? - that's where these programmes are being showen - there's only one series of the Baby Whisperer (15 episodes) as it seems Tracy Hogg actually died soon after it was first made (at the end of 2004!) I've seen one episode at least 3 times in the last couple of months and I think they're showing it repeatedly, currently I think between 8 and 9 am if that helps.

My HV suggested to try them as ds2 won't take a bottle at all and she said these are often considered as "the breastfed babies bottle". Unfortunately he liked them no better than any of the other bottles/cups we have tried... We currently have a whole cupboard full of all manner of bottles and cups of all descriptions and all rejected by the little swine little darling.

Apologies for butting in with my own questions however I tried creating my own thread for advice but failed miserably ugh. My 2mo old was bornwwith a cleft palate and has been using the haberman special needs feeder since she was born and while searching for replacement parts I came across the haberman suckle feeder. Can anyone tell me what if any difference between the two? I can't afford to buy both if there's any chance of nipple confusion and or she can't feed with the suckle feeder. Like any mother I want the best for my child and the whole cleft palate situation is new to me and such a heartbreaking challenge for myself and my baby girl. Anyone with experience or info is greatly appreciated! Ty!