Offering Breast To Soothe?

mrsj0423 · August 2012

We have not introduced a pacifier to our 3 week old girl and would like to keep it that way if possible. Sometimes when she is being fussy I will offer her my boob and that always seems to work, even if she is not telling me she is hungry. Is this bad to do? She obviously gets milk when she sucks, so I worry about her getting overfed. She has not spit up or anything after sucking to soothe. Or maybe she is just still hungry, and that's why she was fussing in the 1st place. Not really sure. But just wondering if it is bad to offer my breast to soothe her?

allardr · August 2012

I'd say she was probably somewhat hungry to begin with. My LO started wanting the boob to soothe in her first few days and gosh I got sore so I gave in to the pacifier. But when she'd do it solely to soothe she wouldn't get milk (I heard no swallowing nor saw any around her mouth). So I think if your LO really wanted to just hold/soothe with it she could without eating. However, she probably is a little hungry is all. And don't worry about over feeding. That's the great part about breastfeeding rather than bottle feeding, they control if/when they want to eat vs. a bottle they have to swallow what's coming into their mouth.

I'd say keep going with what you're doing and good for you for holding out on the pacifier, I was weaker lol

ncbelle · August 2012

Not bad

Babies that age are meant to be on the boob all the time - remember that nursing is about more than just food. Babies are also pretty good at changing their suck when they don't need to "eat" so much as just "comfort"

skibunny59 · August 2012

Not necessarily bad. I've been doing this since day one and DD is now 5 months. It's easy to comfort her with the boob although sometimes when she is with DH or other family members they have trouble comforting her any other way because she wants my boob. She also won't take a pacifier. I don't mind when she wants to nurse for comfort but there are times when I would like a break and wish she would take a pacifier.

00jennifer00 · August 2012

Not bad, awesome. I've been the mommy-pacifier with all 4 of mine. No harm has come to them, they aren't spoiled, or any of the other negatives you might hear. Would any of them take a pacifier? No. But I don't leave my babies much (like practically never) for the first year, so it's not a big deal for us.

stemms8810 · August 2012

I do this a lot. My DS will take a paci but sometimes the only way to soothe him is to offer the boob, especially if I am the one trying to comfort him. It seems to work every time.

emberlee3 · August 2012

I don't see why it would be bad. My DD did a lot of comfort nursing until her reflux meds kicked in. I read that it is soothing for mom and baby, even though sometimes she did spit up quite a bit. We tried pacifiers, but she refused.

ababymaybe · August 2012

It's fine. There is a difference between eating nursing and comfort nursing. They don't get much doing the latter. Plus BFing regulates itself, they can't overfeed.

I say if it works, do it. Sometimes nothing else soothed DS. Now at 10 months he doesn't really need it for comfort much. Maybe once in a blue moon. I'm guilty of ish g it as a distraction when he takes a spill now that he's super mobile.

JammieJk · August 2012

If you're concerned about overfeeding her, it is impossible to overfeed a baby who is only fed from the breast.

If your concern is offering her comfort and spoiling her, this time if often referred to as the 4th trimester. The first three months of her life, the only thing she is gong to want is to be held by you... and why not? You are all she's ever known!

My opinion is, if your nipples can handle it, then offer her the breast whenever you want! Even as she gets older, breastfeeding can be a great mothering tool that can fix a lot of ailments and owies.

mrsj0423 · August 2012

Thanks everyone!

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