[bittersweet]

They told me at the hospital to try to wait a month before introducing a bottle/paci to avoid nipple confusion.

We are almost there! I think it may really help calm Jenna at night and in her car seat, but part of me doesnt want to use it for fear it will be hard to get rid of. Or that she will be that baby who spits it out a million times a night and screams until it is put back. That would be worse.

So here are some questions:

Did you use a paci with LO while BFing?

If so, when did you start? How often did you give it to them? Did it interfere with BFing at all? Was it hard to break the habit?

[SandKmommy]

Seamus started at the hospital and I was so torn up about it. He was in the incubator and the night nurses were horrid to me and wanted him to have one because "he wont stop crying and shut up" well of course he wanted his mommy and I was only allowed in there to nurse him. We use a nipple shied so it didn't cause any issues for us, he it for bed and car rides and sometimes through out the day. He stopped using it around 16mo when he bit a hole in his 3 or so one and I was done buying them.

Kieran didn't start till around 2-3weeks old and we only tried because our LC and us were hoping it would help her tongue issue and bring it down to help her nurse better. Again nipple shield so no issues for us. She uses it to fall asleep and sometimes in the car, as well as through the day, but shes slowly starting to come off it, and shes 10.5mo old

[~*Bethy*~]

both of my kids could nurse and use a binky no problem. It really depends on the child. I LOVE BFing but I hate being used as a binky.

*ok going into more detail, I had lunch to get out when I wrote the above.

Both of my kids got binkies at the hospital, and it helped tremendously. I always nurse on command, but at the same time, I know when my kids are full and yankin my chain LOL! Ian got screwed up to BFing because the LC squeezed his poor little jaw because he was a lazy eater. She litterally freaked him out of BFing...long story. But yes, while I was nursing him, he would take a binky/boob no problem. Morgan was always able to take a bottle, then back to the boob with a binky in the middle very well.

Jack started his at the hospital. Wait a month my butt, LOL. It never caused any nipple confusion (a baby isn't dumb - they get that a paci and a warm boob with milk squirting out are two different things imo), and he often falls asleep without it right now. So it ended up working great for us. I think we may think about phasing it out soon before he starts to get addicted.

I wanted to add that I think that is why Jack didn't cry much as a baby (along with swaddling when he was ready for a nap). They say babies have a NEED to suck, and I was not about to become a human binky. I have a bubble, lol. But you've seen Jack, he is the happiest baby ever, so it did no harm. GL, I hope she takes it! I know a few babies that just refuse the binky.

[Frozendesire]

We tried with both boys but they didn't take to it. I think we waited too long (the 4 weeks) and they were just used to using my as a pacifier. So that's what I am lol.

[Adriana's Mommy]

I used a Pacifier when I was breast feeding and to this day A.J doesn't really like to use it.. I didn't introduce the binkie until 4 weeks though.. But I do bottle feed him, he prefers the bottle over breast feeding.. So there's not really nipple confusion.. He just likes the bottle because it's easier.. He's to smart for his own good.. lol But this works for me since I work full time..

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

Landen used it while in the hospital but once we left he didn't care for it anymore.

[Mars]

Amara never took to the pacifier. She didn't need it right after birth because she was never a fussy baby but when she started sucking her thumb I tried her with one. She just kept spitting it out. Fortunately for me, she decided that she no longer wanted to suck her thumb once her teeth came in.

[Mod-LadyCoconut]

They brought one while we were in the hospital and I didn't really want her to have it but Ben kind of did, so we decided to keep it since we didn't buy any to have at home. The first few days she would suck on it and I was always giving it the evil eye, worried it would mess with BFing. When I was pg I did a thread in my PR and most people hadn't heard of nipple confusion with a paci - only with a bottle. Wit ha pacifier it's just to suck, but bottles give food so there's a difference I guess. Either way, I've offered it now and she's just not interested. She sucks on her hands/thumb whenever she can find it so I suspect she'll wind up being a thumbsucker like mama. (Hopefully not until she's 9 also haha) She'll suck on DH's knuckles too but not the pacifier. I don't think it would be an issue if you introduced it now.

[Resi]

I gave Oliver a pacifier around 2-3 weeks out of desperation to try to sleep more at night. At first I only gave it on occasion at night. After his one month mark we offered it if he was fussy and didn't want to nurse. He would also take it after he was done nursing to stay asleep. He wasn't that attached to it. At 12 months he stopped taking it on his own and started using me much more as a pacifer. I was glad he weaned off of it on his own.

[*Anna*]

I never offered one to Alexa cuz. She never really wad overly fussy. And now at 11 mon old I'm glad we didn't. Babies past a yr. Or two look silly with a paci. And I imagine it'd be hard to wean. I let her use me as a Paci when she needed to. No biggie for me. She wont be nursing forever and I'm happy to soothe her. Good luck with what u choose.

[ShannonMVT]

We tried to give Matthew all different kinds but he never really took them. i think there was maybe a couple days he took one well but overall no paci for him. he preferred to use me as a paci and when I'd offer him a bink he'd look at me like WTH mommy, that is NOT your nipple, I am not stupid. It was rough b/c of his reflux and all that and he had a very strong urge to suck even when he wasn't hungry.
I don't have any qualms about offering one. Though I will say that now that he's 10 months old I'm glad he's not addicted to one and I dont have to break that habit.

[soImarriedAnerd]

I tried giving it to London about 6 weeks I think it was (or it was 8). Anyway he never took it. We tried several sizes, shapes, textures. Now he chews on them but never sucked on them. There was a couple times while in the car just the two of us I would have liked him to take it but overall and looking back, I'm GLAD he didn't like it.

[**jessie**]

I am not nursing, but we tried from the beginning to give him a pacifier. For the first 8-10 weeks, he would not take it. I think he would have liked to, but he couldn't figure out how to keep it in his gob.

Anyway, we (mostly DH) kept trying it on a daily basis and he now takes it. It is such a lifesaver... if he gets upset, that usually soothes him right away. It was well worth all the time we had to 'practice'. My guy usually uses it at naps, but I take it away at night and he has no problems sleeping without it.

[fromGirltoMommy]

The hospital gave Kennedi one to calm her during her hearing test, and that Fed up our latch majorly. She had nipple confusion soooo bad for 2 months we were bfing with a nipple shield So for us it DID mess with bfing! And your nightmare of it falling out a million times at night and having to get up and down putting it in probably will come true. Its horrible. When I put her to sleep I dont even leave her crib side anymore cuz she spits it out every 2 seconds and screams bloody murder! She only gets it when Icant calm her, and in her car seat. She loves her binkie though and she honestly plays with it more than sge sucks on it!