Hi,

I'm new to bfing which is, on the whole, going well. DS was on CPAP for about 10 hours after his birth, but given expressed colostrum until i was able to bf him the next day. With my permission, he was also able to suck on a dummy during his time in NICU.

Since leaving hospital, bfing has been going reasonably well, albeit with the support and help from our Doula. I've never been one to think particularly highly of dummies, but then I don't have any experience with them, so I'm wondering what other's think of their use...

DS will happily suck on the dummy whilst he's waiting for the boob (which is only denied to him briefly whilst I run to the toilet or am driving in the car). We've also used it to settle him whilst he's having his nappy changed cause he gets quite distressed at that time.

DH has now taken to giving DS the dummy whenever he starts rooting for the boob. I don't like this, I want to feed him when he wants it. But sometimes it's hard to tell whether DS is actually hungry, or is just looking to suck on something. Last night, for example, he fed off both boobs over the space of an hour, and was still rooting for boob afterwards - he was quite happy with the dummy for half an hour, but had another substantial feed half an hour later, which makes me think he was legitimately hungry.

I really hate giving DS the dummy in place of the boob. I think DH likes it because it allows him to settle DS without handing him to me. I don't want to rely on the dummy. I'd prefer to use it to settle DS when I can't give him the boob immediately (like in the car, for example). What do other's think? And is it possible that DS does just want to suck on something without actually being hungry? Or should I take every sucking/rooting as a sign of hunger? How do I tell the difference?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.