https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:38:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers/page/2#post-2258287 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 18:10:21 +0000 youboots 2258287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@FliegepilzHut: T was in the PICU for dehydration at 3 days old and at night they asked if it was ok to give her a paci, I was not planning on it right away but told them if it's ok with them it's ok with me. She is 5 mo and we are all doing great.</p> <p>ETA we also gave her bottles right away- it took her 8 weeks to learn how to transfer- now she refuses bottles from everyone but DH. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers/page/2#post-2258272 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 17:41:10 +0000 Peasinapod 2258272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My lo never took a soother despite my best efforts to give her one! She was a big comfort nurser too, and still is only competed by boob at 11 months. I think it makes sleep training And self soothing a lot tougher when they don't use a pacifier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers/page/2#post-2258270 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 17:37:07 +0000 littlejoy 2258270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My nipples were literally falling off during the first week ("extreme nipple trauma" is on my chart), so we had no choice but to introduce a pacifier for soothing. I had a horrible breastfeeding outcome, but it had nothing to do with the pacifier. </p> <p>I have heard that most babies will learn to self-soothe earlier if they are not given a pacifier ... I think some babies need it, others don't. I'd just go off of what my kid was communicating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-2258246 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 17:07:27 +0000 mauxie 2258246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD - avoided paci's for first few weeks (maybe 5-6 weeks). She had trouble latching and I pumped for the first 2 weeks and bottle fed. Got a lactation consultant and once I had BF'ing down, I introduced a Soothie. She tolerated it. Then I switched her over to MAM and she looooved them. We paci weaned at about 17 months. </p> <p>DS - avoided paci's again for the first month. He breastfed well from the start. We tried to introduce paci's around 6 weeks but he never took to any kind! He bottle fed well but just never liked paci's. He's 16 months now. No thumb sucking or lovey. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-2258240 Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:59:51 +0000 FliegepilzHut 2258240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This thread is making me feel so much better! DS is not quite 3 days old and has been home for only 24hours...and we broke down and offered a paci last night because he literally would not leave the breast for even a few minutes all through the night last night and seemed to be getting (is this even possible?!) overly full on colostrum with a faily large spot up. Milk isn't in yet...but he's a vigorous nurser and Ididn't know how my nipples and were going to survive otherwise! Diaper changes have also become a lot more manageable. :happy: </p> <p>Has anyone else had this experience with their EBF infant? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-576786 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:29:07 +0000 littlebug 576786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: If that makes you neurotic, then I think most of us are neurotic! It's unnerving to think about having to do ALL of that in 12 weeks, and figuring out how to do it without totally confusing the baby. We introduced the paci (soothie) pretty early - probably around a week - because D was comfort nursing. He would be attached at the boob, kind of sucking but clearly not "pulling," if you know what I mean. I had a hard time believing he was actually getting milk and so in order to give me (and my poor nipples) a break, we introduced the paci. He doesn't use it for sleep, but we use it to comfort when he's fussy (mostly when we're employing other parts of the 5 S's). He has nursed like a champ from day one, and shows no sign of confusion (gets a bottle a day, and the paci MAYBE 2 or 3 times a day). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-576729 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:16:27 +0000 Mommy Finger 576729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave DS the soothie a few weeks in b/c he is definitely one that NEEDS to suck. He has been fine going from boob to bottle to paci. I just went back to work a week ago and he's had no issues. We just actually switched from the soothie to the "normal" pacis and I have to say, I want to open mouth kiss these pacifiers. He has been able to sleep much better with the change b/c I think it's easier for him to keep it in his mouth. I may regret it some day if it's hard to take the paci away from him but if it's not that, he constantly is putting his whole hands (yes both of them) in his mouth anyways. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575983 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:42:59 +0000 T.H.O.U. 575983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LittleFox: This was pretty much us too. We offered and she never really got attached to any. Since she wasn't really attached to anything we didn't worry about offering it if she was upset from day 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575981 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:42:39 +0000 mrskc 575981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I waited until after he was 4 weeks to introduce the paci. It didn't negatively affect BFing. My DH and I were wondering why didn't give it to him sooner. Then he stopped taking it but didn't seem to want to comfort nurse anymore than before. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575937 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:35:06 +0000 Adira 575937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LittleFox: Thanks! I only have the 12 weeks off, so I feel like I have this SMALL window of opportunity to establish breastfeeding, introduce the bottle (for daycare), and get him to self-soothe (with pacifier or nothing maybe) in order for him to nap at daycare and stuff. I'm so worried about being able to do it all in what seems like such a short period of time! But plenty of women must do it, so maybe I'm just neurotic. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575927 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:32:56 +0000 LittleFox 575927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I won't be going back for a few months, which is part of why I'm not too worried about it. If I were going back soon, I may try harder to get him to take the paci. FWIW, I doubt it would have hurt our breastfeeding relationship - we had an easy time once my milk came in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575853 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:21:16 +0000 Adira 575853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LittleFox: Thanks for the info!!! Out of curiosity, are you going to have to go back to work soon or anything? Are you worried at all about him being able to nap when you're not around for nursing? My fears about breastfeeding and the pacifier are mostly due to wanting to minimize the stress of me going back to work, but maybe I'm over thinking things.</p> <p>@wheres_c: I hear you! My best friend STILL occasionally will suck her thumb for comfort and we're almost 30! So when she had her baby, she refused to let her suck her thumb and used a pacifier instantly! But she also did not breastfeed, so I don't think the pacifier affecting her ability to formula feed at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575842 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:18:23 +0000 Mrs. Pen 575842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I heard all of that too and decided I wouldn't introduce it... until my child wouldn't stay asleep longer than an hour without a boob in his mouth. So around 2-3 weeks old I caved and allowed DH to give him the paci so that I could sleep for 2-3 hour stretches. It didn't negatively affect breastfeeding however we picked up BF pretty easily and it was fairly established by then anyhow. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575827 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:16:37 +0000 wheres_c 575827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Gotcha. I sucked my index finger through college LOL so I understand.</p> <p>Benji is starting to suck on his whole hands at 2 months....I'm watching closely..if he starts trying to suck a finger/thumb I may try harder for the paci </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575802 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:10:23 +0000 LittleFox 575802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: He's currently 8 weeks, so I we're still early. He's not attached to me at the breast all day, but I still feed him on demand whenever I notice hunger cues. He eats every 1.5-2 hours most days, but his feeding sessions aren't usually very long and he's starting to stretch the intervals out. I guess he's just a snacker. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575745 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:57:16 +0000 Adira 575745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wheres_c: I'm not really for or against pacifiers, but I sucked my thumb for a LONG time when I was little (like I was still doing it at school...), so I'm kind of leaning towards having a pacifier instead of having my child do that, since it's something I can take away from them eventually (unlike a finger!).</p> <p>I don't necessarily think I want to introduce one right off the bat, but I do want my child to be able to self-soothe when I'm not there and I think I'd rather he use a pacifier than his fingers for that (because of the reason I mentioned above). If he's not super into sucking though, I'm totally for never introducing anything! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575710 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:49:28 +0000 wheres_c 575710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Not judging, but why do you want to introduce a pacifier? For soothing? Just Curious</p> <p>I was in the "anti-pacifier' camp, because I feel a baby should be comforted by its mother/caregiver during the day vs having a paci shoved in their mouth...plus I had heard it interfered with BFing.</p> <p>We held out, but after about a month he was soo fussy at night and kept waking, my opinion changed a little bit and I decided to try and introduce one at night to help him sleep.</p> <p>Well LO had other ideas and won't take one anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575679 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:42:53 +0000 mrsjazz 575679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave her a pacifier within the first two weeks. Unfortunately or fortunately she never took to the paci--even though I tried every trick in the book to get her to take them. I never thought she wouldn't take a paci, I thought all babies liked them!</p> <p>She'll gladly suck on a bottle or breast and put every other item in her mouth, but if the paci comes at her, she doesn't like it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575675 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:42:07 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 575675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I waited a couple weeks because I got the same advice, and by the time I introduced the pacifier at 3 weeks she completely rejected it and never took to it! With my next one I might introduce the pacifier sooner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575659 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:37:59 +0000 runsyellowlites 575659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave P a binki at 2 weeks old b/c I absolutely HAD to! We had tons of feeding issues and comfort nursing just wasn't something she was able to do in the beginning and the only time she was content was when she was sucking. Had we not had the issues I wouldn't have introduced one at all!!!!! Thankfully P weaned herself from it at 7.5 months, and no she's not connected to my boob all day and she puts herself to sleep w/o one &amp; w/o tears. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575609 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:23:51 +0000 rattles 575609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We waited until 4-5 weeks for a pacifier or bottle. We had a bit of a rough start with bfing, and I didn't want to jeopardize anything there. She'll happily take a pacifier, and bfing is now a cinch. I also think waiting forced us to develop a wider set of soothing techniques than if we'd resorted to a pacifier right away, which I've found a helpful and unforeseen bonus. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575487 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:59:03 +0000 hilsy85 575487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We introduced in the first month....maybe week 3? And I don't think it negatively affected breastfeeding...he had a strong need to suck and my poor breasts really couldn't take any comfort sucking. Plus, it was recommended by our pedi, as using a pacifier when they sleep (which is pretty much the only time we use one) helps lower the risk of SIDS. </p> <p>A lot of babies will reject all pacis at first, or only take one kind--LO initially only took soothies--but keep trying! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575477 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:57:30 +0000 Adira 575477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LittleFox: Thanks for sharing your experience!! How old is your LO now? I am worried about having to exclusively nurse, just because our baby needs to go to daycare at 12 weeks, so he's going to need to be able to deal not getting the breast for a good portion of the day! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575450 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:53:30 +0000 cheert16 575450@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjyw: I am so happy to hear that your LO would go between bottle and breast with no issues- I only have 4 weeks off from work and am freaking out slightly about when to give LO a bottle (he is due at the end of March) so that I can get hime ready for me having to go back to work, but also get the benefits of breastfeeding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575437 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:50:58 +0000 LittleFox 575437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There isn't an option for our scenario. LO got pacifiers in the hospital and rejected them all (a mam, an orthodontic one, and two or three other types) . We got home and offered a soothie, which he also rejected. From the start, he only wanted mama. He will take the soothie for a couple of minutes if I'm no home, but then spits it out forcefully (all others cause him to make a disgusted face and get an immediate spit out). We've tried at least 6 different types, all rejected. He nurses like a champ, though, and just started occasionally sucking on his hands. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575407 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:46:57 +0000 MsLipGloss 575407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SorryCharlie: Ditto! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575406 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:46:38 +0000 Beehive 575406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO got a pacifier as soon as he was home from the hospital I think, and it didn't affect his breastfeeding. Otherwise he would try to use me as a pacifier, and that wasn't good at all! My LC actually suggested using Soothies, since they're shaped like a nipple, but he got started on the orthodontic-style pacifier (that's slanted a little), and I like the idea of a pacifier that might not affect his teeth/bite, so I stuck with ours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575402 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:46:17 +0000 mrsjyw 575402@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave DS a paci within the first week and had to formula feed for a day or two. When my milk came in, I had a day that was hard to get him used to my breast and latch back on, but since then it's been a breeze. He has no problems between paci, bottle, or breast~</p> <p>Paci was also instrumental in night weaning and DS STTN at 12 weeks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575401 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:46:10 +0000 lovehoneybee 575401@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We gave DS a pacifier for the car ride home from the hospital...and then he completely refused it until he hit about 6 months. Now he takes it, but more for something to chew on than a soother. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/breastfeeding-amp-pacifiers#post-575398 Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:45:48 +0000 mamimami 575398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With my first, I waited three weeks. He was never really into it. With this one, I waited less. She, also is not into it. Obviously no issues with nipple confusion since they knew exactly what they wanted and it was not a paci. So, go figure. </p>