Human pacifier

Trisham1201

LO is 7 weeks old, and I'm his pacifier.  While I love the bond, I feel completely trapped.  I can't go anywhere without him crying for me and nothing else will soothe him except for my boob.  I've tried all kinds of pacifiers, and my poor DH feels completely useless because nursing is the only thing that will get DS to fall asleep or stop
crying.  I read this is normal, especially for mommies that are exclusively BF, but it's really gotten bad... DS is already a horrible daytime mapper so this dependency just makes it more difficult to ever go anywhere.   Any thoughts?

Beverly0628

I understand the frustration, but try to remember that this time is temporary. Someone that I know posted this when I happened to be having feelings similar to what you are describing. It was a huge perspective changer for me:
https://nurshable.com/2012/05/04/i-am-not-a-human-pacifier/ 

Rach8672

So this is kind of silly but maybe you could try it .... Sometimes I put a pacifier at nipple  level and hold LO as if I'm BF and she will go at the pacifer like crazy lolll... Idk if you will be so lucky . Just a thought !

Achae

Rach8672 said:

So this is kind of silly but maybe you could try it .... Sometimes I put a pacifier at nipple  level and hold LO as if I'm BF and she will go at the pacifer like crazy lolll... Idk if you will be so lucky . Just a thought !

My DH does this and he can calm down LO better than I can at night! 

Wicked4589

I do the pacifier trick at boob level too. While it may be temporary, it still doesn't make it any easier. I have to get stuff done snd can't be confined to a chair all day. EBFing actually made me bond less with my son because I hated being trapped all day long. Something had to be done to ease our lives. Do what you can. 

Trisham1201

Wicked4589 said:

I do the pacifier trick at boob level too. While it may be temporary, it still doesn't make it any easier. I have to get stuff done snd can't be confined to a chair all day. EBFing actually made me bond less with my son because I hated being trapped all day long. Something had to be done to ease our lives. Do what you can. 

I am definitely going to try the pacifier at boob level trick! Did you do anything else to ease up @Wicked4589? I know this is temporary and that I should be patient, but I am going back to work so DS has to find other ways to be content....

Wicked4589

I have found he only likes the pacifier from the hospital so I have them everywhere. When he's winding down from eating I pull the bottle and plop in the pacifier. i turn him toward me like he is nursing but have the pacifier in his mouth between us. Kind of holding the paci in his mouth. It worked for us. Sometimes he still tries to use me as a paci but I refuse to let him. He can scream all he wants but I refuse to give him the boob unless he's genuinely hungry. 

jrouge12

@Beverly0628  Thanks for that link. I really needed that tonight.

narissa2013

Just read that page as my daughter hangs out at the breast. So sweet but hard to feel so zen about it all the time. Im in so much physical discomfort by end of the day. 

Hipshaker

@Beverly0628 that is a great link!it gets better I promise! Your still in the fourth trimester. As soon as baby starts to roll over and grab and interact with the outside world the time you get in between will increase and you will feel less trapped and enjoy the reconnection aspect more. Especially when you start solids! And Dh's time is comming with lo is comming up, believe me. Do you side lye to nurse? I take lo to bed( l have a king on the floor no pillows or blankets) to nap during the day. As soon as lo drifts off I get up and lo is non the wiser.