Dummy dilemma and feeding

[Sleepybunny]

DD2 is 7 weeks old and EBF. I think she might have a bit of reflux as she spits up a lot and is very snuffily. Even with lots of winding. She also had a cough that's been around since week 5.
Because of this she can be difficult to settle after feeds, particularly at night when I try to put her in her basket.
She wants to suck for comfort a lot, but pulls away crying. Latching on and off constantly and generally fussing.
I gave her a dummy the last two nights and she fed at 11pm and 2am then 6:30am.
I'm having to wake her for her 2am feed. Although she is starting to rustle about.

She must be getting less milk in the night as I'm full and sore by the morning.
I don't want to use a dummy as my DD1 is 3 and utterly addicted to it. She only gets it for sleep, but it's a fight to part her with it most mornings.
Also concerned about weight gain. She's gaining well, but worried this will affect her.
Also am I being selfish, shoving a dummy so I can have more sleep?

[NickyEds]

Give the dummy and get some sleep. No baby will sit sucking a dummy if they're hungry. I just don't believe it happens! My dd has been known to cry and spit milk out because she's taken some on when she just wanted to suck.

[Sleepybunny]

That's exactly what DD2 does! I end up soaking as she'll just spit the extra milk out then go back to sucking and fussing.
Tell me they become more efficient at feeding without messing about as they get older. DD1 took ebm from a bottle mostly, so it was all very structured when it came to feeding. She needed a dummy as she struggled with latching and took no comfort in breastfeeding! I think she developed an aversion to it after all the stressy latching attempts

[NickyEds]

Dd has always been a pretty efficient feeder but now she 's very quick(she's also never bf for comfort). I hate to break it to you but the fussing has got worse!! Biting, pulling, legs kicking....it's like bf a pissed off octopus.

[feeona123]

I wouldn't wake for a feed, feed on demand x

[Sleepybunny]

Argh really!? I have been miss sold! It was supposed to be a glorious experience, like the women on the aptimil follow on milk ad. BFing in her immaculate white shirt whilst stroking a milk drunk sedated baby

Does it count as feeding in demand, if my boobs feel like there are going to fall off, and I wake her to take the pressure off? Boobs seem to be more demanding than her at the moment

[daluze]

You don't need to wake her for a feed at 7 weeks. Your breasts will adjust. You can hand express a little bit for comfort.
I think dummies can be very beneficial for some babies. I was quite annoyed when DS2 refused to take one...
Different topic, but getting rid of the dummy for your toddler might be easier than you think...

[Sleepybunny]

Daluze, thanks how should I do it? It's the source of so many tantrums. She actually wet herself on purpose this morning screaming at me, despite me calmly explaining that I was going to finishing what I was doing then I would find it for her.
She even still cries in the night and I go through to put her dummy back in!! It's beyond ridiculous.

[scandichick]

Can't help with the toddler dummy issue (in fact I might borrow some of the advice), but with both of my end babies feeding suddenly got massively quicker around for months. DD2 is four months and barely stays latched on for five minutes per feed during the day.

And don't be afraid to stick with the dummy for feeding reasons - I've two dummy addicts and they know when they want milk, all right. All expert advice I've seen reckons it's fine by seven weeks.

[scandichick]

End = ebf

[drspouse]

Mine were FF but DC1 was dummy addicted till over 2 while DC2 shook it a bit looking at me as if to say "nice rattle mummy" after a few months so you may find your DC2 is not necessarily difficult to wean off.

[daluze]

Oh, sleepybunny, sorry to hear that! Every child is different, so I cannot tell you what will work best, but if it already causes many tantrums, maybe worth going cold turkey? Our dummy was "lost" when DS1 was 2.5 years old, as it was getting ridiculous with him playing for hours with the dummy before falling asleep, constantly losing it under the bed (many times deliberately, so I need to get it back), loosing it at night as well and me getting up to find it. One time I just had enough and did not find it - at first genuinely, but then hid it and binned when found. We were down to one dummy at that time. He cried for it for 3 nights (second was the worst), but we just tried to comfort him, looked for under the bed with him multiple times, etc. I felt very hypocritical I must admit, but he actually didn't cry more than half an hour every night. After 3 nights he would just say "my dummy gone" every night before going to bed, but wasn't upset anymore. I also avoided any shops where he could see dummies for quite a while.
I appreciate it would be more difficult with a baby at home using a dummy...

[Sleepybunny]

We tried a cold turkey approach and gave up part way through night 2, I'm ashamed to say. She would scream and sob until she fell asleep next to me or in my arms, then wake up after an hour and do it again. It was awful.
I hoping we can distract her from it and take all the emotion surrounding the damn thing. It doesn't help that we're tired all the time and patience is at an all time low.
DD2 is refusing the dummy today, go figure!