Breastfeeding and dummies?

[Aidan's Mummy]

Hi ladies

I'm planning on breastfeeding my little man and I was wondering if it is advisable to give him a dummy or not? Or would it cause him confusion? Also I have heard some women saying their LO uses them as a dummy? Is this ok? Or would my nipples become sore after a while? Sorry for all the questions and seeming niave I am very new to this even though this is my second x

 

[lisaf]

The instinct to suck for comfort actually helps build up your supply. So they don't recommend using a dummy for at least 6 weeks while your supply establishes itself. You also don't want to cause nipple confusion where your baby learns to suck on the rubber nipple in a certain way, they tries to suck on your nipple the same way or decides they prefer the other nipple etc.

The first couple weeks you probably WILL be sore. Most women experience some level of nipple discomfort at first. There is a nipple cream call Lansinoh that is wonderful for that, and also squeezing out a few drops of milk and rubbing that into your nipple and allowing it to air-dry is a big help too. You might even prefer to leave your top off a lot at first due to sensitivity.
Some women never have much of a problem though, just some information to know ahead of time!

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Thank you hun. I need all the info I can get x

 

[DebzD]

I didn't find lansinoh that helpful personally, but a piece of savoy cabbage in each cup of my bra helps with the soreness for me! I know that sounds random but it was recommended to me with DD1 and was great so am using again this time too

 

[summer rain]

While dummies are not recommended while BF for the reasons described, some BF babies have no problems with them and BF using a dummy is better than feeling you have to FF in order to use one-unfortunately a lot of mws and hvs are telling this to mums that if they want to use a dummy, they cannot BF or BF will go completely wrong with dummy use, which is totally wrong xx

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Would it be a good idea to etablish feeding before I introduce bottles? I know OH will want to feed Oliver but should I wait until he is feeding well before expressing xx

 

[beanfluff]

DD used one from day 2 and is fine. I introduced them to give me a break. My health visitor said they recommend them now as sucking helps protect against cot death, not sure how though. We had to try a few brands before finding she liked the avent ones best.

 

[lisaf]

Its a good idea to wait to introduce bottles for the same reason.

But as summer rain said, many babies have bottles/pacifiers introduced sooner and not all have issues. And even if issues come up, they can usually be worked through if breastfeeding is important to you.
My son had a pacifier before he ever had my nipple in his mouth as he was in the NICU. He also had bottles from day 1.
We had extreme issues latching that were related to his tongue and lip-tie which I'm sure would have been problems regardless of his pacifier/bottle introduction. I only succeeded in getting him to latch at all with a lactation consultant who is just an expert and I swear she's magic. I'd had help from 4 other experts and nobody could get him to latch but her, and once she got him to do it twice, he did it every time after that.
So without her help, I might never have really got breastfeeding established and would have given up pumping.

As for having the dad feed the bottle, there are many ways to bond, and he can help care for the baby by taking care of you, making sure you have everything you need if you're going to be stuck nursing for a while in one spot, doing chores around the house so you can rest etc. You really can't skip a feed anyway early on so if he gave a bottle at night, you'd have to get up to pump.
And for most dads, the novelty of feeding wears off REALLY fast, lol!

 

[lisaf]

oh, and I've read different things about the pacifier/dummy and cot death/SIDS link. Different sources say different things about it, but one source I read said that it was actually about not taking away a pacifier from a baby who was used to being put down with one... .other sources say the suspect it stimulates the sucking reflex which prompts them to breathe, other sources say it helps create a gap of air so if their face is pressed against a surface it helps that way.
Its not super-strong evidence, but they are considered somewhat beneficial.

We chose to give our son one because we didn't want him to suck his thumb since its easier to break a dummy habit than a thumb-sucking one, lol. We tried several brands before finding one he liked.

 

[Blah11]

roman has had a dummy for a while now. Hes a really sucky baby and he gets frustrated if hes on the breast and milk is coming out when he just wants a comfort suck (I have a very fast letdown). We've had zero issues with nipple confusion.
Amelie on the other hand would point blank refuse a dummy.

I prefer my dummy baby so far haha. Hes much more settled and Im not chained to the sofa 24/7 feeding. My nipples got used to roman much quicker too although that could have been cos they were still toughened up after having BF amelie. I didnt have any cracking or bleeding with either baby and only had a tiny blocked duct for a day with roman which wasnt even painful, just a bit uncomfortable.

 

[summer rain]

Its definitely better to wait for 4-6 weeks before expressing if possible, because before this time not only can it potentially cause latching problems, it can intefere with building your supply, not only can it interfere because its not as effective as BF directly, but it can also make your body go a bit mental if you express and start making loads more milk than you actually need. I had to express in the early days for medical reasons and its not something I'd recommend unless you have to xx

 

[HellBunny]

I do have a dummy in the babys drawer but going to avoid it for a few weeks, just really determined for BF to work this time, my friends baby had a dummy though and they successfully breastfed for over a year x

 

[lisaf]

Oh yes, I was just thinking about the dad and bonding thing... my husband changed 90% of the diapers in those first few weeks... nothing say bonding like getting peed on

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

I think OH is scared of the tar coloured first poo of a baby x