breastfeeding/pacifiers?

heavenpaige · January 2013

I always heard not to use a pacifier for at least the first few months when you are breastfeeding....is this true? Anyone with experience with this either way? Thx

tiffletons518 · January 2013

There are "special" pacifiers you can get for if you are breastfeeding. I used them with DD2 and never had an issue.

Willubmine · January 2013

We used a pacifier right after birth and had a WONDERFUL breastfeeding experience. We also mixed in a few bottles within the first two weeks and again no problem. We were able to breastfeed for 18 months. I think the nipple confusion is overrated. And we plan to do the same thing with #2

skio · January 2013

We started pacifiers at about 3 weeks and she still uses it today for sleeping. The only reason I didn't use them earlier is because I wasn't aware of the benefits.

Her pedi asked at her two week appointment if she used a pacifier, and urged it when I said no. Sucking is hugely soothing to infants and pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS. I would personally wait a few days until baby has learned to latch, but certainly not months.

heavenpaige · January 2013

tiffletons518:
There are "special" pacifiers you can get for if you are breastfeeding. I used them with DD2 and never had an issue.

I really like and want to use the tommee tippee brand bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups etc. is this brand ok to use in this situation? I know the bottles say they are like a breast and for breastfeeding etc.

bumpuser8448316 · January 2013

I've heard that, too. I gave DS one around 6 weeks. He had major latch issues though so I was afraid to somehow undo all the hard work we did by giving him a pacifier.

bumpuser8448316 · January 2013

skio:
We started pacifiers at about 3 weeks and she still uses it today for sleeping. The only reason I didn't use them earlier is because I wasn't aware of the benefits. Her pedi asked at her two week appointment if she used a pacifier, and urged it when I said no. Sucking is hugely soothing to infants and pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS. I would personally wait a few days until baby has learned to latch, but certainly not months.

This!! If we hadn't had latch issues I would've introduced it much sooner. If the next baby doesn't have any latch issues, he/she will get one much earlier than 6 weeks.

ChisenaBlasko · January 2013

Willubmine:
We used a pacifier right after birth and had a WONDERFUL breastfeeding experience. We also mixed in a few bottles within the first two weeks and again no problem. We were able to breastfeed for 18 months. I think the nipple confusion is overrated. And we plan to do the same thing with #2

This.

TriciaandSean · January 2013

My son was a preemie so he was given a pacifier and a bottle (of breast milk) to help with the sucking reflux before I was able to breast feed for the first time.

We had no problems breastfeeding once he learned to suck and had a great breast feeding relationship for over a year.

I'm sure every baby is different though.

MrsKatieW · January 2013

Didn't use one with DS1 at all. DS2 got one in the hospital when they did the heel prick to check his billirubin, (I had given written consent). And he continued to use them until 7 months. We've never had nursing issues, the reason we stopped was he was too dependent on them. Like when I was driving if his paci fell out he would scream bloody murder, even though he was able to put it back in his mouth on his own at that point. I went cold turkey on the paci but offered his Sophie or other teethers instead, it only took a couple days before he was over the loss of his pacis.

LiLi23 · January 2013

heavenpaige:
tiffletons518:
There are "special" pacifiers you can get for if you are breastfeeding. I used them with DD2 and never had an issue.

I really like and want to use the tommee tippee brand bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups etc. is this brand ok to use in this situation? I know the bottles say they are like a breast and for breastfeeding etc.

I used Tommee Tippee bottles but DD hated the TT pacifiers. She only liked the Avent ones. Still to this day. Shes 17 months in case you cant see my sig. And only size 06 I think it is. We used one in the hospital and had zero problems with breast feeding. Now we only use them for naptime and bedtime but will be phasing them out shortly after the last of her front teeth break through. We're almost there.

ETA I should also add that I bf for about 3.5 4 months until my supply tanked when I went back to work. DD had a few bottles of bm before then and it never interrupted her latch or anything. I like those bottles bc I found them to be easy to clean.

bumpuser8448316 · January 2013

heavenpaige:
tiffletons518:
There are "special" pacifiers you can get for if you are breastfeeding. I used them with DD2 and never had an issue.
I really like and want to use the tommee tippee brand bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups etc. is this brand ok to use in this situation? I know the bottles say they are like a breast and for breastfeeding etc.

Those are the only bottles and pacifiers DS will use.

Britt8058 · January 2013

I tried to use one with DD. I introduced it around 2 weeks but she would never take one. She prefered to use me as a pacifier instead!
As soon as this LO gets a good latch I will introduce a pacifier and pray he will take one.

jaymiegerard · January 2013

My son never took to the pacifier, but I didn't try until he was about 2 months and breastfeeding was going great. I was planning on using one with this baby, but my sitter told me that her son had horrible chronic ear infections caused by the constant sucking on a pacifier and so she never used them with her next two kids. I'm on the fence... but in all honesty, there were so many moments I wished he would take a paci!!!

Betty74 · January 2013

I used one after 3 days as my dd fed for over an hour and I was in extreme pain. It never effected her ability to feed at all x

mjune3881 · January 2013

I tried to hold off because we had bf problems right out of the gate and didn't want to jepordize the progress we made. After several nights of absouletly no sleep (around 2 weeks) we gave in and gave her one. She loved them and still uses them. I'm going to try and go cold turkey at 18 months and she if she will go off them. For a long time she would only use the Avent Soothies 0-3 months. Now she will sometimes take the 0-6 month ones or the Gumdrop pacifiers. We BF until 12 months.

skio · January 2013

jaymiegerard:
I was planning on using one with this baby, but my sitter told me that her son had horrible chronic ear infections caused by the constant sucking on a pacifier and so she never used them with her next two kids.

FWIW, I think this depends on the kid. DD still uses her paci for sleeping and sometimes in the car an has never had an ear infection. If it had caused them, though, I'm sure I would've taken it away sooner.

I also wanted to add that I BF'd with no issues to 14m. The pacifier never caused any latching issues or nipple confusion; my kid would suck on anything, lol.

And last thing; no one should be set on any one particular brand of pacifiers before baby comes, and definitely don't buy any of the later stage ones. You may want your baby to like a certain brand, but only baby will know what he/she likes. We went through five brands before finding MAM, which is the only one she would hold onto.

WhitWed · January 2013

There are special kinds of pacifiers to buy that replicate the look of a nipple; however let me add that if breastfeeding (for whatever reason) doesn't work out I don't recommend keeping those types of pacifiers. If the baby isn't used to breastfeeding, it is difficult to use a replica nipple pacifier for soothing. I know 3 couples who planned to breastfeed (even took classes), it didn't work for them for various reasons, and their babies had a difficult time keeping the specialty pacifiers in because it doesn't sit in their mouths like a regular shaped pacifier does. The eventually switched to regular, cheap ones from their store and voila! My recommendation is to buy a couple different kinds and try them after you get the hang of breastfeeding. We used MAM pacifiers for soothing and had no issues between the pacifier, the breast, or a bottle.

scuba2011 · January 2013

We tried to get DD to take one besides the first few days in the hospital she refused. I tried different brands, different sizes, the works. All she ever wanted was the boob. We were successful with getting her to accept drinking from a bottle for about 3 months so that we could try to leave her with grandparents or allow DH to bond with her but that was also short lived. She was a boob only girl until she decided sippy cups were ok.

duffmaker · January 2013

The nurse called M a "sucker" in the hospital so we allowed her to give M a pacifier (one of the Avent Soothies) and it never caused any problem with BFing.

Ethansmommy18 · January 2013

I nursed my son for 16 months and he had a paci from day one. It never bothered his eating habits or anything else.

MamaW82 · January 2013

I will be trying to get LO to take a paci from day 1. DD never took one, but we waited a while (I think maybe 6 weeks to try). The constant comfort nursing will be difficult with a toddler and a NB.

MrsAery-to-be · January 2013

We introduced a pacifier while in the hospital because DS wouldn't sleep and was trying to suck on my finger all the time. We never had a problem breastfeeding. We introduced bottles at 4 weeks, I went back to work at 7 and wanted time to adjust to a bottle. I breastfed for 6.5 months then switched to pumping full time. DS never had a problem going back and forth. We will play pacifiers by ear this time but will have some on hand and will probably have a similar time frame for bottles as last time.

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