pacifiers anyone??

[sunnyCA]

ok, i know "they" say to wait until 4 weeks, but I broke out the paci today at 3 weeks. dd has nursed like a champ from 10 minutes after birth, was back to her birth weight at 8 days and growing like a weed. am i asking for trouble???

[aydensmama]

Dont know about trouble based on research, but 2 out of 3 of my boys have had paci's.

One night number one- I had a lot of colustrum and ds3 was really wanting to suck. We would nurse and gag, nurse and gag, over and over again. Finally I hollered at dh to wake him and have him get me a paci. Ahhhhhh.

No latch or weight gain problems here aat all.

[Lacrymosa]

Yeah, I used one since 2 weeks. It hasn't affected her nursing one bit. But it's not like that for all babies..

[Abraisme]

I've tried 4 different styles from 1 week old or so.. She hated them all! She was like, don't fool me with this plastic thing, yuck! Ha ha.. She'll only take her father's pinky.. I have no advice, but I think it's fine to start a paci.

[AlbertaJes]

My DD had one since that first night. She'd been sucking her teeny little fingers for goodness knows how long, and was tearing my nipples to shreds. 2 days of soother in between feeds and we were golden. Definitely doesn't have the suck needs that DD1 had though, which is nice.

FWIW, she was 3oz over her birthweight by 7 days and has gained nearly 4lbs now at 4.5 weeks. She started at 6&15.

[sunshynbaby]

I've tried to use one since the beginning. It only works for a few minutes. I try not to be, but most of the time I am his pacifier

[adoremybabe]

During the first night all DS wanted to do was suck even after good feedings. So I asked for a paci in the hospital. I never used it until the ride home. He was miserable for a little while. Since then I use it only when he wants to suck but keeps gagging at my breast. I will also pull it out for some car rides if he is sad.

So far he is nursing great and gaining well.

DS1 only ever wanted me for comfort and DD is a thumb sucker. So the paci is a new thing for us!

[LilWin]

We've got one, but it keeps falling out of DS's mouth, so I'm already annoyed with that thing because I have to give it back to him over and over. Also both my other kids still walk around with one way too much and it's such a hard habit to break, I'm thinking of not giving the paci anymore before DS becomes "addicted".

[texaspeach]

we have been using a soothie for the past few days. I have oversupply and comfort sucking was making it worse I'm not happy about using the paci, but poor Wy was drowning in milk and nursing was really hard because of the over suppply/overactive letdown thing.

[Coconut Chronicles]

We use one at night on occasion... so far no problems.

[wombatclay]

I have chronic oversupply (babe keeps sucking, mama keeps having let down level milk, babe gets annoyed!). DD1 would only suck on other people's fingers... she wanted to suck but wouldn't take a paci or suck her own fingers. DD2 wanted to suck but wouldn't take fingers or pacis... just the nipple, with the resulting tummy anguish engorged breasts and milk wash everywhere.

DS seems to be a finger lover and, in a glorious twist, loves his own fingers! We do have a paci that we've offered on car trips but it falls out often. When we're at home we help him find his fingers (his arm control is still pretty iffy).

As long as there are no latch problems and you're offering the paci along with physical comfort (not instead of physical comfort) then I can't see any problems with it. I would have looooooved it if dd1 or dd2 would have taken a paci!

Oh... like bottle nipples, there are lots of different paci shapes. If your babe doesn't like one shape/brand it's possible they'll like a different one.

[sunnyCA]

thank you for all of your thoughts ladies! I will likley just keep doing what we are doing. With DS1 I was also very concerned about him getting addicted to the paci and imagined him in kindergarden with a paci. Well it turned out at 6 months, I bought him a paci that was a size bigger but looked like his old one. He rejected the new size and we never had any paci drama. He was done at 6 months. Who knows what will happen this time around, but I guess we will keep trying if it is working. Also, I totally agree the paci has to come along w/ other physical comfort from mama and papa. Thanks again.

[NaturalMindedMomma]

We did the paci at 4 weeks. Anna was nursing with a nipple shield anyway so it most likely would have made 0 difference. But I was traumatized by my first who got nipple confusion with the bottle. I think Anna was 3 or 4 weeks before I offered the bottle.

I did want to add although she will suck on the paci for a few and maybe a finger for a second, NOTHING will calm her until mama's nipple/nipple shield is in her mouth. PERIOD. She is just not having it.

[mamaheids]

I invested $20 freakin' dollars in pacifiers for little miss molly to try (to deal with screaming in the car- no other reason, I thought, if she could comfort suck that would make the car rides more tolerable for her) and she will not take any of them (soothie, playtex ortho, playtex binky, mam, gerber nuk, gerber soft flex). So alas, she still screams in the car and I am her pacifier at other times...DD1 loved her (mam) paci. Nurses (at our baby-friendly hospital) actually TOLD me when delivered DD1 I needed to give her one at 3 days old because she just wanted to comfort nurse around the clock and I hadn't slept in 4 days. It did the trick. No nipple confusion whatsoever. (I think she was a rare case tho.)
So long story short, if anyone would like to try to get their babe to take a paci and doesn't want to invest a load of money trying different kinds PM me and I'll send you some, I'm serious!

[Jilian]

None of my 3 would ever take a paci and I was really hoping that dd would but no I am the never-ending human pacifier. I swear it is because my nips are small and I can't find a paci that is similar. Oh well. One of these days I will invent a paci that is molded after mama and I'll be rich and famous.