New device could identify which babies will struggle with breastfeeding

Paul Sisson | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Doctors traditionally use a finger to gauge how well a baby suckles, but researchers at UC San Diego have come up with a new way to more precisely measure just how well each child gets the job done.

Led by engineer James Friend, a team in the university’s Medically Advanced Devices Laboratory rigged up a “non-nutritive suckling system” by connecting a digital vacuum sensor to an ordinary disposable pacifier, allowing for 60 seconds of real-time continuous measurement.