I didn't realize that pacifiers were such a hot topic! I know that most people have an opinion about them and that it's usually a strong opinion one way or the other. Before I had a baby, I had strong feelings about pacifier use and always said, "My baby will NEVER have a pacifier!" She still hasn't gotten one, but maybe my opinions have changed a little.
All articles on the La Leche League website and KellyMom warn against giving pacifiers to breastfed babies. The concern is that pacifiers decrease the duration of nursing sessions and that my milk supply will lessen because of this. There is also the fear of nipple confusion...that Jayna will prefer the pacifier over my breast. I'm not afraid of this as I am still using the nipple shield that represents a bottle nipple and she is currently getting one bottle a day. That will increase to 2 or 3 bottles a day by the end of the week. The last concern is that when breastfed babies begin the sucking motion, they are presenting to the mother that they crave food/attention from the mother. So, she may not want to eat, but she wants to be at the breast for comfort reasons. I am okay with that to a degree. I can't let her use me like that for hours on end. It just isn't practical or doable.
Jayna and I have established a good breastfeeding relationship. She eats well and she enjoys being at the breast. She likes to look at me or look out the window. She is comforted and calmed by breastfeeding. But she has a crazy need to suck when she goes to bed at night.
Jayna has begun to try and suck her thumb. At first I preferred her to suck her thumb over a pacifier...that is until today's visit to the doctor. I expressed my concern over Jayna's new colicky behaviors at night and told the doc that Jayna wants to be at the breast for sometimes hours on end. When I pull her off thinking she has dozed off, she often wakes up frantic for something to be in her mouth. I sometimes offer her my finger and she is fine with that. She doesn't want to eat, she wants to suck. And she only does this at bedtime at night. She doesn't have the need for sucking during the day. The doctor said to me, "Have you tried giving her a pacifier?"
She then proceeded to tell me that the advantage of a pacifier is that Jayna would be weaned more easily from a pacifier than if she was to suck her thumb. I can slowly take a pacifier away, but I can't very well take away her thumb. On the other hand, if she sucked her thumb, it would be on her own accord and not something that I've introduced to her.
I'm really torn over this. I could use some guidance from some of my trusted readers. Here are my questions:
* Breastfed or bottlefed, what are your thoughts on pacifiers? Good, bad, indifferent?
* Do you or did you have a baby who took a pacifier and breastfed successfully? Did you go back to work and have issues with decreased milk supply? Did your baby begin to breastfeed less frequently?
* Breastfed or bottlefed, do you or did you have a baby who only took a pacifier at night? Is it possible to limit pacifier use or will I create a monster if I try to only give her one at night?
* Breastfed or bottlefed, Ii you did use a pacifier, at what age did you introduce it?
Please weigh in on this one EVEN IF YOUR CHILD NEVER USED A PACIFIER. I could use any suggestions you all have.
2 comments:
Still continuing to stalk your sweet baby...
About the pacifier: I don't think it really matters. Ellie was breastfed and, although i tried, would never take a pacifier. She was a thumb-sucker right away, and never showed interest in a pacifier. She is now three and still sucks her thumb, but has cut down to only when she is sleepy or needs a little extra comfort. The only thing i hate to see is a three or four-year-old trying to talk with a pacifier in their mouth! So, if the pacifier works for you, i say do it and don't listen to any of the chatter for or against it! I had a pacifier, and i definately don't use it now, and i (obviously) never starved to death! All of the "nipple confusion" talk was always weird to me. I hesitate to say that it's a bunch of crap, but... If she's hungry, she'll eat, right?
Oh, and about the breast-feeding and back to work: I went back to work when ELlie was 6 weeks old and tried to pump for a while. This worked until she was about three months old, then my milk supply droped and i couldn't keep up. So, 1) start freezing milk now, and 2)if your supply does go down, don't stress about it! I finally started supplementing with formula and felt much better. It is also stressful to go back to work and have every free time/break time spent in a room by yourself with a pump hooked to your boob! Eventually i only breastfed in the morning and at night, mostly for comfort/bonding reasons, and then she lost interest by 6 months and was strictly formula.
Most of all, remember that you usually know what is best for your child. And, all of this stuff that is stressing you out now will soon be a distant memory (and you'll have different stuff to stress about :)).
I, too, tried to give Layla a pacifier to no avail. She acts like what the heck and starts choking on it! So, she sucks on her hand sometimes but usually that won't work and makes her even more mad and I have to just "plug" her in.
I know a kid who breastfed no problem until 9 months and took a pacifier, there was no confusion. I think you are past the age for "nipple confusion" anyway. She has gone from you to bottle a couple times so I wouldn't worry about that.
I think that you should do whatever you need / have to do to make life pleasant for now.
Someone just told me recently that your kid will have bad habits, but they can be broken and in the end it really doesn't matter anyway. For instance it won't matter when Jayna is 15 if you gave her a pacifier or not. So, do what works to make you sane.
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