anyone here totally against pacifier use?? - Page 2

[pixiepunk]

we used them sparingly for times like in the car, or when i was taking a shower and baby didn't want daddy's finger. But i won't introduce any artificial nipples till baby is at least 2 months old - bottles or pacis - because i don't want to take any chances with the breastfeeding relationship.

my kids always took them begrudgingly. DD only did for a couple months before she found her fingers (she still sucks her fingers at almost 5 yo, and nursed till she was 3). DS didn't have as intense a sucking need, and just wasn't interested in extra curricular sucking at all. he would spit the paci across the room

i'm not "totally against pacifier use" but i do follow the guidelines on not introducing artificial nipples for a couple of months to make sure bf'ing is well established first. and i definitely only use them in certain situations - it's not for frequent use.

[milosmomma]

I was another one who was dead set against using a pacifier...until I actually had a baby. I was so determined to be successful at breastfeeding and did all my research and everything advised against use. Then, in an ironic turn, it was my LACTATION CONSULTANT who introduced the Soothie to Amelia. She was slightly tongue-tied and apparently needed to be able to practice sucking. We never had a problem with nipple-confusion/low-supply/etc. I can completely understand how this could happen, so I'd recommend making a decision prudently, but it was just never an issue for us.

[oyinmama]

it's great to read these stories!! BFing happily is super important to me, but to be honest, so is the occasional moment of silence. LOL!

i hadn't really decided about the pacifier question. then at our shower, someone gave me a couple of silicone 'binkies' - straight, human-nipple-shaped, which i had never seen before and thought was cool - and solved the moral dilemma about was i actually going to buy one or not. now, i have a new moral dilemma about whether to actually use one or not. the stories and different circumstances in this thread are really helpful to read. i guess i'll just keep my mind open and see what the baby needs and prefers.

[limette]

I have a couple here but dd has used them mabye twice as a chew toy when she was teething. She was a crazy nurser and did a lot of comfort sucking but from me not from the paci. I'm not totally against them for desperate situations but I have no intention of letting my kids sit with one in their mouths all day.

[meli-mello]

Originally Posted by blizzard_babe

As a first-time mom, I'm trying my hardest not to be dead-set against or for anything (other than a select few non-negotiables) because you just never know. My plan right now is to put off pacifier use until after BFing is well established, if at all... but I'm also fully prepared to eat a big helping of humble pie should that be necessary.

:

[jsnv]

We used them for the first couple of months with all 3 so far and there never seemed to be a problem.

I'm too tired to look it up right now but didn't the AAP come out with something a couple of years ago about pacifers helping to lower the risk of SIDS.

Not that they would sway me one way or another, I just vaguely remember hearing something...

[paphia]

When my dd was 2 days old, and we came home from the hospital, my mom said "Let me hold the baby while you take a nap." I said, Okay. Sounded like a good deal. Told her to wake me when she needed to nurse. Well, I woke up four HOURS later wondering where the h*ll my baby was and find her asleep in my mom's lap, my mom wiggling the little paci in her mouth to keep her asleep. I was really mad. Then my doula came over for a PP check and reminded me how that can mess up the baby's ability to latch on top of not having been fed for four hours. I took all the binkies and put them away right then. It made my mom mad b/c she really felt dd's sucking needs were abnormally high and that she shouldn't "use" me as a "human pacifier" (her words). But that was one of the first conflicts I had with my mom on parenting and it just solidified my resolve to do what I felt right.

We tried using a pacifier maybe two or three times after that when dd had colic in the first three months and would not settle down for anything, but only after we'd pretty much tried everything else first. It only worked once. Later on she really liked paci's for chewing. I think I also used them a couple of times when we drove over the mountains and dd was asleep and I was worried about her ears not popping.

So, no I am not dead set against them, but I think one should definitely avoid them if possible in the first six to eight weeks, and longer if you notice a sloppy latch after your baby uses them. And no one should be made to feel like comfort nursing is bad. But if a baby likes fingers or paci's it's okay to use them. I don't see the big deal if everyone is happy.

[AZgirl2207]

DD wanted nothing to do with a binky--which was fine with me. I know that some babies have a high suck need but it drives me crazy when they are constantly in the kid's mouth. I saw a five year old in the grocery store take his binky out of his mouth so he could drink his soda (dont' get me started on the soda part). Something wrong with this picture? I know this is a worst case senario, but I don't every want that to be my kid.

[ZoshaMosha]

No, I'm not dead set against them. I thought I would be, but at 7 weeks, dd was just so fussy and persnickity all the time, I tried one. She just looked up at me like "WTH?" and spat it out. So that was that.