Newborn and Pacifier?

All 3 of my kids took the Nuk pacifiers because I was breast feeding and that brand is the most like the nipple of a breast in their mouth. Also, it took them a while to get the hang of the pacifier. They don't have the muscle control to hold them in for long periods of time. You'll just have to be patient and keep putting it back in until he gets the hang of it. It will happen!

I don't suggest trying to get him to suck his thumb. When he is older you can take away the pacifier, but he'll always have his thumb! Plus, my dentist told me that thumb sucking damages teeth more than a pacifier, and can even effect their adult teeth if they suck their thumb long enough.

My baby never took to a pacifier. I got some good help from the video "Happiest Baby on the Block," by Harvey Karp. All baby soothing techniques. He also has a book, but video is concise. You can probably order it on Amazon.

At two weeks old, pretty much every time he's awake he's going to want to eat. It's good for you too - it helps to get your milk production up. (I don't know if this is your first) The only thing I would be careful about is something they call "Nipple confusion" -- La Leche and most Lactation specialists don't recommend introducing a paci too early, since they are a completely different kind of shape from your breast, it can confuse the baby on how to suck on you.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/concerns/pacifier.html

http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_paci.html

http://www.pamf.org/children/newborns/feeding/pacifiers.html

Looks like the American Association of Pediatrics suggests you should at least wait the first month before introducing a pacifier for a breastfeeding baby.

If you're getting sore - there are compresses you can put on your nipple, as well as lanolin cream. Getting sore can also be a sign the baby isn't latching on correctly. You may want to consult a lactation specialist through your hospital if this is a concern.

Babies this age can't keep pacifiers in for long periods of time. Both my kids were pacifier junkies and they would spit it out after a while and then cry for it. It takes a lot of strength for them to hold it in there. I don't think it is the type of pacifiers you are using, just your son's age. Hang in there, and soon you won't be able to get them away from him.

My son hated them, and would do the same thing BUT... most infants i know just end up breathing in the wrong pattern for a moment and lose their grip, and it falls out, and they're ticked. It's not like breasts, after all, that are still right their in their face to relatch onto, instead gravity takes over, and the paci is GONE, and meltdown.

A thing to consider though... Many newborns do cluster feeding, where they're eating every 15-30 minutes (because they're too tired to eat for longer... older babies cluster feed as well, but usually for different reasons). In many ways this is a double edged sword. These types of newborns tend to sleep A LOT, but they're also eating quite literally 24/7.

A NIPPLE SHIELD IS A GIFT FROM GOD.

It's essentially a little bendy plastic thing that goes over your nipples to protects them. I got mine when I was engorged (we're talking anime ridiculousness... each of my breasts was bigger than my head... and there was no way for baby to latch). I broke it back out again though, as soon as my nippled started getting chapped. Even with the shield, they do toughen up... it just takes a little longer and is pain free during the process.

People will tell you that pacifiers are the worst thing in the world, or that they are bad for nursing babies (confusing for them maybe?)... but you know whats worse for a nursing baby? A cranky mommy with cracked nipples.

Get a paci. ITS OKAY.

When he's bigger, there are lots of clever ways to get rid of it. They lose all their baby teeth anyway so don't worry about it "ruining their teeth".... Just don't let him walk into Kindergarten with it! : )

Best of luck to you! You will be grateful that you can soothe your baby and keep your sanity AND nipples intact. It will also help you nurse better, have more patience and be much more tolerant of bad days, 2 am wake up feedings and already-sore-nipples.

Hang in there!

I'm not sure if you're a first time mom or not, but for a 2 week old to be sucking like that tells me that he's still hungry, especially since he's sucking so vigorously with a pacificer. I recommend you call a La Leche League person and ask them to watch your baby nurse to see if he's latching correctly and getting enough to eat. You cannot over feed a baby at this young age, and you should never make a baby wait a certain amount of time to eat if he's hungry.

I'm not against pacifiers at all, but you really do need to make sure that your baby is full before giving him a pacifier.

Hope this helps. I'm a mother of 5 and I've nursed them all!

Some babies just don't like them. I have 4 kids. The first 3 were boys, none of them would take a pacifier. I now have a 9mo baby girl and she loves her passy. Maybe it's a boy/girl thing?

Not all children take to the pacifier. I only had 1 out of 4 use it. But at two weeks - sometimes you have to hold it in their mouth to help them get the idea - they have minimal tongue control.

That is how both my girls were; some babies just don't like pacifiers and won't take them. Let him comfort nurse, I know it can be exhausting (my 8 month old still comfort nurses all night) but it will keep your milk supply up. Stopping comfort nursing may very well adversely affect your supply.

My youngest used a Pacie, my oldest never did, he liked his thumb. The one thing I did different than most was that I never let him have it at bed time. The reason was that when you later take the pacie away bed time is always the most difficult time. I have heard of kids screaming until 2 or 3 am wanting their Pacie back. When we took his away, we had no problems because he had never had it at bed time anyway.

Did you try the Mam type? I tried a few different ones and that was the one my son liked. It is more bulbous on the end. My son was a huge "sucker" so I also gave a paci at a week, and my son did ok with no confusion or loss of milk supply. It is a real possibility though, so use them sparingly. In my case, I had to use a breast shield for nursing at first, so maybe the paci was closer to what he was used to. I don't know. (The breast shield was nearly impossible to break, so I only recommend those as a last resort.) You will probably also need to try both latex and silicone varieties. My son liked silicone. I also liked the Mams because their pacifier holders worked well on other things too, like loveys and rattles.

you could use a pacifier, but chances are babies arent going to be able to hold it in his mouth all the time and you will be retreiving it a lot. i dont know how your first son was; you dont say, but you might want to stick with nursing for now, your son is so young yet, and im concerned for your milk supply....

i know you are probably exhausted, and would like to be able to get up and do things, especially with another child!! that must be extremely frustrating! i would recommend a sling to help you to have your baby with you while you care for the older child. :) they are awesome. the moby wrap is SUPER comfortable. despite recent news about slings, they are safer than the media is letting on. i was always making sure my son's neck wasnt bent in an odd position, and it was just fine.

heres the thing about breastfeeding too; its a supply and demand system. your infant does need to nurse for comfort; this not only satisfies a deep need within him to know where you are and be have the most connection and comfort as possible, but it also increases your milk supply. a lot of moms end up having trouble with their supply when the non-nutritive sucking isnt allowed. its just as important as the sucking when eating! :):)

so do your best.\

one thing i would highly recommend is to go to a local or nearby la leche league. you might not have one right in your town, but look in neighboring towns. im sure that once a month you could travel to one of these meetings; you will not regret it; they are awesome. :) OR you can just get in contact with a la leche league leader who can give you information and support.
a GREAT book: the womanly art of breastfeeding

good luck and THANK YOU FOR BREASTFEEDING!!!

I agree with the posts that say that he is PROBABLY STILL HUNGRY! At 2 weeks, he is still building your supply. Let him use you for a nuk for now.

My son never took a pacifier. We did try when he was a couple weeks old but he refused. It was definitely for the best!

I tried both my girls on pacifiers, but they would never take them! Worked out great bc when I would have to take it away I dont bc they dont have one! Dont force him!

Teach him to find his thumb. Then you don't have to worry about pacifiers!
I di dith all my kids. it was ther when they wanted it, and they weaned themselves from thumb sucking when they were past the stage.

Is he allergic to silicon try the rubber ones and sometimes you just have to be there to keep pushing it back in for him. Try a wet wash cloth too. Baby size one. Extra rinses to take the soap out.

He is only 2 weeks old and that is basically what a child at his age does.. they eat, sleep, pee & poop. If he is crying a lot he may have a bubble that needs to be burped out. I could never get either of my children to take a pacifer and I just found other alternatives to help sooth them.. a lot of walking, rubbing the back, rocking etc. My son just had his 2nd son about 6 months ago and they found that while their first child took a pacifer great, the 2nd one didn't and fought it all the time too. Take a deep breathe and realize the older they get the better it will be. It also could be that your baby isn't getting enought at each feeding but normally breast feed babies eat sooner than bottle babies. While breast feeding is wonderful it may not be compatible with you. Talk to your Dr, your support people and see what they recommend.

Some babies just don't like and won't take a pacifier. Neither one of my boys would take a pacifier and they were both colicky so I feel your pain! The upside is that you don't have to take it away when they are 1, 2, 3 or whatever! Have you tried other methods of soothing him like a sling, vibrating bouncy seat, white noise, etc.? Like some others have said, I've heard the new nipple shields (didn't have ones like that in my day) are a lifesaver. Good luck! I've been there.

My son and niece would only take the brown tipped MAM pacifier. Good luck!
T.

We aren't into pacifiers so we gave our son one of our fingers to suck on.It worked well for us. There were only 2 times in the first 3 months I half wished for a pacifier. Aroun 3 months my son found his two fingers and from that point on was happy helping himself.

My daughter was the same way... the only pacifier that she would take was the one for six months and older... Her dr. said that it was probably because it was big like my nipple and round like one... she took to it and they only time she needs it now is when she is ready to go to bed... It helped me because she wasn't going to bed with a bottle when she got off the nipple... it is just a suggestion but if you want try one for 6 months... it is just a big round one that is all...