Pacifiers/feeding question

[hbomdiggity]

When did you introduce the pacifier?

Hospital/lc all say to wait 3 weeks.

My 1week old loves loves loves to suck. He sucked my nips raw the first couple of nights and sucks H finger. And he sucks down milk.

I started pumping to help my nips so we know that he regularly takes 4oz bottles (we alternate with breast) every 2-3 hours. He isn't spitting up, so it doesn't seem like we are over feeding him, but I do wonder if a pacifier would appease him some of the time. I seem to have plenty of milk and able to meet his needs, but it is getting stressful.

Part of me wonders if we are past the nipple confusion since we introduced bottles (and he doesn't seem to have issues going on breast). But I don't want to mess anything up.

[osulori]

We introduced one his first day of life with the hospital's blessing, no issues with nursing or bottle feeding. Its worth a shot!

[lilac05]

I think if you've already done bottles with no issue, you're probably just fine. Lots of people don't believe that nipple confusion is a real issue anyway.

I worried about if so much with DS1. He never had an issue. (Though he did prefer the most non-natural, cheapest nipples on the bottles!) I think DS2 had a pacifier in the hospital. I didn't have supply issues, and couldn't deal with a baby literally attached to me all day. I was willing to risk nipple confusion for my sanity. He never had an issue with the pacifier.

[jewel]

Day 3, and I wish I had done it sooner.

[awkwardpenguin]

Once in a "what will you do differently with a second kid" thread on here the #1 answer was introduce the pacifier earlier. Based on that and our kid who loves to suck, we introduced it on Day 3. No issue with nipple confusion from introducing the paci, and she won't take it if she's truly hungry.

[t]

DD2 is almost three weeks. We introduced the paci before she was discharged. With DD1 we waited a month. We learned our lesson. Lol.

[Deleted]

If you're doing bottles, I'd definitely go for it. It just took us a few tries. DS ended up liking Mam pacifiers.

[Deleted]

In the maternity ward, on day 1

[carolinagirl831]

Neither of my girls had nipple confusion. In fact I'd say bottle refuses are much more common. It seems like I see that on here all the time!

[countthestars]

A week but next time I'm doing it at the hospital.

[moopoint17]

For both, we introduced a paci and bottle on Day 1. And they also nursed until 14mo.

[Deleted]

I waited with J and it was a mistake. He then refused to take it until I basically forced it on him at 5 mos. The kid loved to suck and I was returning to work at 6 mos and could no longer be his human pacifier for naps.

I gave it to the girls on day 1. No issues nursing at all.

[Deleted]

Jun 29, 2015 2:54:07 GMT -5 carolinagirl831 said:

Neither of my girls had nipple confusion. In fact I'd say bottle refuses are much more common. It seems like I see that on here all the time!

Yes, I gave the girls pacifiers on day one and they still loved to nurse and we're bottle refusers. J I waited to give it to him and he wasn't a huge bottle fan and took minimal amounts but didn't refuse it the way they did.

[water*drop]

We waited a couple of weeks with DD, but she didn't actually take until she started daycare at 12 weeks or so. She loved to suck, but she only wanted the real deal. She was also a bottle refuser by the time she started daycare, even though she took bottles happily at 2-3 weeks when I had to pump and bottle feed for a little while.

We introduced a pacifier on day 1 and continue trying now (5 weeks) with DS, but he won't take it yet. He doesn't seem to be as into sucking as DD was, though.

[undecidedowl]

We waited 4 weeks with both boys. For DS1, it worked great. It gave me time to build a good supply, avoid any potential nipple confusion, and he took to the paci right away. He did have a tiny bit of trouble learning the bottle, but no biggie. With DS2, it didn't work. I'm not sure if waiting was what caused it (I think he has some other structural issues) but he never took the paci and had a very hard time taking a bottle.

If it were me, at 1 week, I would do more paci time in favor of less pumping to give your nips a break.

[pinotgrig]

Jun 29, 2015 0:03:34 GMT -5 jewel said:

Day 3, and I wish I had done it sooner.

Yes a million times. My nurses said nipple confusion is not as common as it's made out to be. We never had any issues with it and he was much happier with a paci.

[bullsgirl]

We started at day 2, and we never had any issues. Do it!!

[anna7602]

I don't believe in nipple confusion. Try the pacifier!

[AlpineSlide]

day 4 or 5

[nessness]

Like an hour after she was born. The NICU nurse told us she'd never seen nipple confusion with a pacifier in a full term baby. DD never really took to the paci, and hasn't used one since she was about a month old.

[Deleted]

Day 1. She loved it early on, grew out of it fast and now prefers her thumb.

No regrets at all.

[VillainV]

The ride home from the hospital. We had no issues wit nipple confusion. He was happy with the paci on and off for the first 6 months or so, then decided he wasn't really into it anymore. We never had issues with nipple confusion.

[sjh722]

DD1 we waited a week.

DD2 got one in the hospital.

I am very pro-pacifier, LOL.

[soozy87]

We did it right away and had no issues.

[jln]

Day 2 and he's a great nurser. I did find one that's a little more like a real nipple and he doesn't gag on. It's the Tommee Tippee newborn glow in the dark. They have them at Target.

[noodleoo]

I was really surprised when they gave my baby a pacifier in the hospital. Seemed to go against what they told us! We used it sparingly at first, but had a nurse visit at home at 5 days and she told us that since baby was breastfeeding fine that it was fine to give it to her. We also had to supplement with formula and she easily went from bottle to breast. She also needs to suck a lot and will suck on her hands if she can find them. So we started using it and never looked back. As long as she's latching and eating well, I wouldn't worry about it.

[hbomdiggity]

Thanks for the replies! And happily surprised. He is currently sucking away like a champ.