Pacifiers Use and Breastfeeding

[Ninetales]

If you use/d a pacifier, when did you introduce it, and did it interfere at all with your breastfeeding relationship?

Elsa is almost four weeks old, and we had some serious nursing issues her first week. We have been doing ok since and I don't want to mess it up by giving her one too soon, but I'm feeling like there are times it might be good for us to give her one. Especially in the car, when she is screaming her lungs out. If my husband is driving I can use my finger, but if I'm alone I can't.

She also gets frustrated at times when I think she wants to suck but doesn't want milk. She also fights sleep a lot, too. I wonder if it would help her at night to sleep somewhere other than across my lap.

Thoughts?

[Alisse]

We didn't try using a pacifier until our son was over 2months old and he wouldn't take it and still won't at 6months. We also had a really hard time with bottles -- he's only accepted one in the last couple of weeks but sees it mostly as a play thing and so won't drink very much from one, (he mostly chews on the nipple). Me and my husband wonder if it would have made a difference if we had introduced bottles and pacifiers sooner. Like you i wish i could have used one in the car when my son was freaking.

[ErinYay]

She got her first paci at 6 days old, as I did (and still do) have major oversupply issues, so she couldn't comfort suck at ALL.

3 months in and she's still nursing well, and my supply is just starting to settle down a little, though I'm still uncomfortably engorged 3-4 times a day.

[paradoxia13]

With my first son we had a rough start nursing and I didn't try to introduce a pacifier or a bottle until he was almost 2 months old. He never took either.

My second son latched on like a pro from the start and I offered him a pacifier when he was just a few days old. It didn't cause any nursing issues at all (he's 5 months tomorrow). He only uses the pacifier in the car and for afternoon nap. He also take a bottle no problem at all.

I would say I definitely waited too long with the first, but, both boys are just so different who knows if sooner would have really worked for son 1.

I wish my first would have taken a paci or bottle just for little breaks for me, and I'm happy that this one does, but, glad he isn't dependent on them either. I say give it a shot, worst that happens is that it just doesn't work for you.

~heather

[marinak1977]

I introduced it with my LO at about 6 weeks because sometimes he wanted to comfort suck but I had too much milk and it would frustrate him. So a paci helped him relax while I cuddled him. DS prefers the boob but likes the paci and it relaxes him. He is not dependent though and it only comes out when DS is fighting sleep or is really overstimulated but doesn't want the milk. He doesn't have any problem breastfeeding so it works for us. He also takes the bottle just fine - we use Breastflow bottles and introduced it at about 5 weeks. I did use a nipple shield when I first started breastfeeding because of flat nipples so that may have helped as well since he got used to the texture.
Thankfully we were able to eliminate the need for the shield after about 3 weeks.

[CalaRei]

For what it's worth, mine came home *loving* pacifiers, but now just spit them out. They both also came home supplemented with formula 1/2 of their feedings, and now one practically refuses a bottle and the other only takes one in the evening. So introducing these things early enough doesn't guarantee they'll keep doing it, either.

[octobermom]

My first never really took one I gave her one I can't rememebr when but shes jsut wasn't really intrested except when teething then she'd go around chewing on it and jsut drop it after a few weeks when the tooth broke through and that was it ..
My NB though does take one and I actually introduced it in the hospital after it became clear how strong a sucking need shes has. Its not affecting our BF at all shes does both great she is nursing a lot and does comfort nurse as well but shes will give mommys nummies a break and take her soothie pacie as well. I'm never been a pacifer advocate but thankfully for is no issues.
Oh shes is 10 days old

Deanna

[Sri Radha]

I started my DD on a pacifier at 2 weeks old. The ped recommended it after speaking with him. She had surpassed her birth weight and breast feeding was going well he said it was ok. And he said it reduces the risk of SIDS. He told me to try several kinds because some babies will not like one but will like another. So I bought 4 different kinds. I tried the one that said "most like mother's nipple" on it first and she had no interest. The second one she sucked right up! It's by MAM. I haven't had any issues with nipple confusion.

[kirstenb]

With DS1, he had a pacifier from practically the moment he was born and it did interfere with our breastfeeding relationship. With DS2, I waited until he was over a month to try to indroduce it, and he will have nothing to do with it. He has never taken it for more than a few seconds before spitting it out. I don't really find myself missing it though...

[Mirrormonkey]

I wish my ds2 would take a pacifier! Ds1 did and we had no probs...

[HappiLeigh]

With my first I waited a month, then tried it in the middle of the night to see if it would help her sleep without my nipple in her mouth (like a charm! ). With this one, I wanted to wait at least until he regained his birth weight, but ended up trying it at four days because a) his latch was fine, so I wasn't concerned about that, and b) he'd had problems with gas and seemed to want to suck for comfort but would get frustrated with the milk coming out. Again, paci worked great for that. This little one doesn't seem addicted to it like his sis was, though, which is fine by me.

[hakeber]

DS had one from the first week. We tried a couple shapes and textures. The ones he liked best were the bulb shaped tips of the softer brown rubber. We could not find these in the states for love nor money, only those stupid NUK angled tip ones that seem specifically designed for spitting across long distances to get lost. I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that for Bfed babies the rounder softer rubber tipped types are better because they emulate the mother's nipple better, and the harder plastic angled tips are better for bottle fed babies.

DD will take one only if she is trying to sleep and having a hard time falling into the second stage of sleep, or in her car seat. She is happy to have a soother for the car rides, and will drift off as soon as we are ten yards down the road.

With neither of them has it interfered in the slightest, but then again both time as soon as the baby was laid on my chest they found the nipple like mice to cheese and went to TOWN. Obviously both my kids have oral fixation needs.

[ShadowMoon]

We offered DS a pacifier at 3 months old. He loved to suck and it helped on car rides. It never interfered with our BF'ing relationship. We used the Gerber NUK pacifiers.

[readermaid]

My DD had a paci within the first week. We had no problem nursing. She was very oral, and I just couldn't nurse as often as she wanted to suck. She took the occasional bottle just fine as well. She was never very picky.

[odoole]

DS had bottles and pacis from day one. He was a preemie so he wasn't exclusively breastfeeding until he was about 2.5 weeks old, but nonetheless, he had and still has no problems going between bottles/pacis/and breast. I'm SO SO glad he takes a paci. I don't know what it would be like to parent without one.

[LindsC]

My son pretty much never took a pacifier, but he was a thumb sucker. My daughter has used a pacifier since she was a couple of weeks old, but she nursed like a champ from the very start. She pretty much only takes it when she is in the car and after she is done nursing and just wants something to suck on to soothe her back to sleep.

[2xy]

Both of my children were given pacifiers before we even came home from the hospital and had no trouble with nursing. DS1 started refusing the pacifier when he was 3 months old, and DS2 rejected it at 8 months of age.

[StrawberryFields]

Ds I believe was 2 months, did not interfere with breastfeeding. Dd1 I offered around 2 months and beyond but she never took it. Dd2 I started trying shortly after my milk came in but so far it is a no go (she is 2 months). Personally, I love pacifiers and wish my dds would have used them like my ds did.

[akind1]

DS had one in the hospital (2nd night I think) and it really helped, as he only wanted to suck,not eat. He is 4 months now, and only will take one to sleep, but often will go to sleep just as easily with his thumb. It hasn't interfered with our BF'ing relationship at all. We use MAM, as that is what the hospital gave us, and he like them, so felt no need to change it up. He also takes bottles just fine, so long as I'm not the one to give it to him

HTH

[MaddieMay]

I thought I waited to introduce a pacifier for a couple weeks, but the other day I found a pic of DS coming home from the hospital and a hospital employee was holding him with a pacifier in her hand. So I guess we had it almost from the beginning, except I don't remember DS using it regularly until he was a few weeks old.

Either way, it hasn't affected our breastfeeding relationship at all. He is still VERY attached to his pacifier at 8 months.