Lately I have noticed a pattern with my 6 week old little girl, in that she uses my boobies to settle back to sleep. Pattern is now that she sleeps really well at night (4-5 hour sleep after 6-7PM feed then 3 hours sleeps until 6-7 am) which is fabulous! and whilst she goes straight back to sleep after each feed at night during the day is so different. Not only does she feed 2 hourly all day, she will have a feed one boob, then when finished I change her, and try other boob (usually less time) she comes off the second content and happy smiling, and chatty so we have a little play (I read or sing to her etc) after 15-20 min or so she does the yawn and the sleepy eyes so i cuddle and pat her bum (which she loves) but most of the time she wont completely settle until she suckles again on my boob (I can tell she isnt drinking this time just little sucks) for about 5-10 min ten she is fast asleep and I can put her down. Thing is my nipples dont appreciate this much and no-one else can settle her back down (she will just cry until she gets boob) - my husband bought a baby dummy which acts in the same way (ie: settles her) but I hear so much about the BAD BAD dummmy I am scared to keep using it - so now I just use it alternatively.
Any suggestions on how I can get her to settle without the booby? Is the dummy that bad if it works at settling her?
we try trying to get her to suck her hand, pacing the floor, bopping, patting bum (which works temporaily but not without boob), cuddles, swaddling, she doesnt like bath that much to put her to sleep, ???
err.. she is crying now foer past 10 min when i write tis! my husband is doing everything to settle her but I just know 5 min on my boob will work! better run.
I say use the dummy! They have been a godsend in this house! My DD still has one at 19mths. I don't mind it's only for her to go to bed with and when she's upset to comfort her. DS has one too and does what you say your DD does, but I pop the dummy in once he's finished feeding and he goes to sleep easily.
Bub is still really tiny and sucking is comforting for her. I know that breastfeeding experts (please shoot me down if I am wrong) would say not to introduce the dummy because atm because she is trying to establish her milk supply.
However in my own opinion if you know that she is just comfort sucking and you need a break then introduce the dummy. In saying that my rule is never introduce some thing that you are not prepared to go through and ween bub off later, if that makes sense. On the flip side if you use the breast to comfort bub she may want this all the time.There is nothing wrong with comforting using the breast but you have to be prepared to want to do this. Plus bub is only 6wks old so if you stick it out for a few more weeks you might find that she doesn't need to comfort suck so much.
I personally have used dummies for both my girls because they used sucking as a comfort. DD1 was weened off by 18 months (around the time she stopped teething, is has never had speech issues but the weening process took a good month of unsettled nights. DD2 had a dummy from hospital and I am starting to ween her off now, she is 11 months.
Sorry for the rant...If you are determined to continue breastfeeding I would get some advice from a bfeeding expert about how the dummy impacts feeding.
My ds was the same! We tried the dummy for a while- but eventually he spat it (literally) and refused to suck on it- and so i now continue to feed him to sleep. Hes 3 months old- and while he definately PREFERS to fall asleep on the boobie i find i can feed him till he is almost asleep and then i can rock him or even DH can walk around with him and he will go to sleep. Also now he knows his bassinette is where he sleeps- i can put him down sleepy and he will drift off on his own.
From 6- weeks i did think about trying other ways- but like you DS would just cry and cry and while i was trying new ways i felt horrible knowing that i could stop him just by feeding him so i decided to just keep doing what i knew worked, and as he has gotten older he is getting better at sleeping by himself.
It so tough those first few months. Your doing a fabulous job
you need to do what feels right for you and bubs. We never introduced a dummy and i demand fed and still do.
bubs may still want comfort from you even if you give them a dummy cause your all they want. Do you think you could wait a week and see if she has changed her patterns? I know Ds was all over the place with feeding and was good one week, comfort sucking the next. Next weeks she could be totally different?
But just remember to follow YOUR instincts!
Last edited by boomba; November 15th, 2008 at 02:23 PM.
thanks guys - yer I am trying to avoid the eventual dummy weaning. but as you said Starbright, I cant handle her crying knowing in my heart a suckle will make her feel better, so I do that... i just feel nervous about starting a pattern whereby she wont settle without breasts... But you guys are right I guess she is still very little.
I will keep doing the alternating (booby/dummy), seems a compromise on the advice?
after reading other difficulties women have had with breastfeeding, I feel like I have nothing to complain about!
At 6 weeks, I would think that your feeding is probably established well enough to introduce dummy. We use one for DS, but only for sleeps/if he is really upset. I don't let him just suck on it all day - because then he wouldn't babble etc & I worry that it would interfere with his speech development.
Don't stress about the eventual "weaning" off the dummy. Babies will have to give up lots of their comfort things eventually - wrapping, dummies, boobies, etc. - but when the time is right, it's not that bad. DS wanted to be wrapped for ages (until he was 9 months) - but when he decided he didn't want it anymore, the wrap was all gone within a week & he was sleeping fine. I'm presuming it will be the same with the dummy.
thanks again - i feel like socially theres this general feeling that if you didnt use a dummy your a better mum... I had a friend over this week who said "x wouldnt know what a dummy was because I never gave one to her" like she had done a better job at soothing her baby in the early days...
I just want to be a good mum.
comfort sucking + use of dummy?
Reply With Quote
It so tough those first few months. Your doing a fabulous job
want to be a good mum.
Bookmarks