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Breastfeeding
Sleeping in our bed?!
I know this is not a good habit to form. I am breastfeeding and my 8 day old seems to use me as a pacifier if she wakes up or gets startled to calm herself down. She feeds normally, latches on very well but my nipples are so sore all the time! They seem to have some type of scabbing too. I try to introduce a pacifier (which we are really not wanting to do) but she won't take it for long anyway. So at night after she feeds for a good 30-40 minutes, she'll sleep on her bassinet for about an hour if that, then scream and cry until she gets my boob. Then she sucks for about 5 minutes and falls right back to sleep. After a few tries at the bassinet, I fold up my body pillow and place her right in the middle of it in our bed but with how the pillow is, we are not touching her and are not able to roll onto her. I just can't take her using my nipple as a pacifier all throughout the day, it's just so painful! I don't know what to try!
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Re: Sleeping in our bed?!
Try letting your DH give her his pinky finger with the pad side up towards the roof of her mouth to suck on. A lot of babies will take that even if they won't use a paci.
You can try too, but if you get DH to do it then you get a nap!
It's pretty normal at that age. Babies can't really form bad habits until they are 3 mos old so whatever you have to do for you and her to get some sleep at this point, do it. As my mom said "you will not be rocking a 14 yr old to sleep, trust me." Remember, your DD went from being held 24/7 in the womb to being held way less than that. She doesn't have the ability to calm herself yet, that's why she wants to suck. It's okay as long as you aren't being harmed by it (although I understand it's driving you crazy). It sounds like you have some cracks on your nipples though so be sure to put some BM on them and let it dry after she eats and to put lanolin on there so they heal. Also, if she latches on badly, take her off and make her relatch.
Also, like pp said, try offering her your pinky. My DD wouldn't take a pacifier for several weeks but loved sucking on our pinkies. This will pass as she grows older. Good luck!
My nipples were scabby around that time and that got better. I suggest Lanolin for the meantime; if they are still sore in the next week or so I would consider that there might be a latch issue. Just know that when you rub it on it can cause let down! This surprised me the first time!
We, too, were against paci's at first, but our LO constantly wanted to suck. Our pedi and lactation consultant both recommended paci's; the AAP actually recommends saying they decrease the chance of sids. We'll need to decide when we want to stop her using them so that we don't have a 5 yo with them, but for now, they are helpful and soothing. I just don't give it to her unless she wants it. My MIL suggested when you are ready to be done with them you put a hole in them. This way they are just 'broke'and you are not the evil one who took it away.
I see why having your baby in bed is convenient, but I personally would not want to get in that habit. I think that will become a far harder habit to break and much more impactful than the paci. Even if it is safe, it will make it difficult down the line for both her and you to break that habit.
This is what worked with our DD. Around a month she started taking a paci occasionally, and around 4 mos she decided that she only wanted to suck on her own fingers. Your baby's still too young for bad habits-- just focus on getting the best possible sleep for all of you at this point!
Everything is so exciting when you're one!
Before we had our baby, we (more my hubby, but me, too) were TOTALLY against bedsharing or bringing the boy to bed with us.
Then I realized that it was the only way I could get rest in the early days, and even more so when I went back to work part-time.
It helped that our pedi said habits aren't formed until somewhere between 9 months and a year, and that most other moms in my BF group did it.
Guess what -- at some point between months three and 10, DS stopped needing my boobs for sleeping comfort. Now he only sleeps soundly in his crib; we all go nuts if he's in bed with us. And it's funny that I really have no idea when I stopped bringing him into bed with us for parts of the night or morning. Sigh, it all goes so fast, in retrospect, although the moments you're living it seem to suck FOREVER.
Just sharing my experience to say that bedsharing to save your sanity and catch-up on sleep is not a bad thing. Even if you think it's the Worst. Idea. Ever. (Like I did). Although I do miss our snuggles now.