Sucking...

[Jenne]

So DD is just 1 week old. Well, okay 1 week and 1 day old. So tiny! We are currently using a nipple shield to nurse because of inverted nipples and DD's preference. (You can read the riveting thread in Feb 2011 or Breastfeeding...) In the past three days though DD has started to suck but not swallow towards the end of feedings. This is also happening "between" feedings (as in she wakes from a short nap, I pop her on to nurse as opposed to days where she sleeps 2-4 hours) where she will be quite upset that there is milk, won't swallow, begin to choke, milk goes everywhere, she gets upset. Any ideas or solutions?

We do have a pacifier for car trips (it lives in the car in the carseat) that she goes to town on. I'm not really interested in bringing a pacifier into the house but I do think she has a high suck need. We have no ultrasound pictures of her face because her hand was always in her mouth. She sucks her fingers, her wrist, and her hand almost all day long. She nurses well when she swallows--20-30 minutes on a side, burp, and then 10 minutes or so more either on the same side if there is any left or on the other side. This happens every 3-4 hours so, 6-8 times per day. I know that average wise a newborn nurses 8-12 times per day. She sucks but doesn't swallow probably an additional 2-6 times per day (because I offer the breast).

Ideas? Help? Or is this completely normal?

Thanks!
Jenne

[hhmomma72]

Some babies just have a high sucking need.  Mine is 8 weeks now and we've gradually become more paci friendly, mostly because daddy can't give her a breast to suck on.  DD also did a lot of sucking in the womb.  We had some trouble breastfeeding early on and sometimes she would be on clearly not eating, but just sucking.  It sounds pretty normal to me.  I used my finger for a while to give her something to suck on but then realized that it's probably got a lot more germs than her paci because I'm not an obsessive (or even diligent) hand washer.  Hope this helps, but it sounds like there's not too much to worry about.

[SeattleRain]

I'd try introducing a paci if she's relaly upset by the milk. I'd look into the Gumdrop or Soothie style since they have a shape that is similar to the breast. I personally love pacis and don't find anything wrong with them if a baby wants to suck.

[Jenne]

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it! I was feeling sort of frantic with wanting to help her. About 3am I did get the paci out because I didn't think it was safe for her to sleep with my little finger in her mouth and each time I would take it out of her mouth...no matter that she had been sleeping soundly for 15 minutes...she would wake up upset. She is only getting the paci after feeding, changing, and me being sure she isn't hungry.

We went with the Dr. Brown's because it is a different shape than my nipple or the nipple shield. I figure the more varieties of nipples she is exposed to the better for working on her nipple confusion.

Thanks again!!!
Jenne

[Erin77]

My son did something similar and eventually he learned to just let the milk run out of his mouth while sleeping and I'd put a little pad down before nursing him side lying. I also used a nipple shield for inverted nipples and I was concerned about getting enough stimulation, so I really wanted to delay the paci. We later went through a nursing strike and I had to get rid of the pacifier altogether, so I'm glad I delayed. Your mileage may vary, of course!