Dummy for breastfed newborn?

[Lilliput]

My ds is 10 days old and feeding well though does not always settle very easily and a dummy with my dd always helped especially at night. But will giving him a dummy too early put him off feeding?

[Marketa]

giving a dummy is supposed to cause "nipple confusion" ie they suck differently on a dummy to the way they suck on the breast and could end up feeding inefficiently. However my DS3 was prem and in special care and was given a bottle for most feeds when I wasn't there and didn't seem to affect him at all, feeds well now, though colicky at the moment!

[jangly]

Gave a dummy to all three of mine straight away. No problems with Bfeeding. They all gave them up at about 3 months. Although DS went on to suck his thumb - which went long and thin!!

[Marketa]

I think if you let them suck on a dummy for too long, they might not want to suck on the breast as their need to suck would be more satisfied. But if you wanted to use it the odd time to save your sanity it probably wouldn't make any difference.

[Marketa]

Jangly, did they give up the dummy themselves or did you take it away?

[Prufrock]

No. Nipple confusion IME is a load of rubbish. There can be problems if bottles are introduced before bf is fully established as a baby can come to prefer getting milk easily out of a bottle if they are having trouble getting it out of a breast, but you can't ge milk out of a dummy
I found a dummy a lifesaver when dd wanted to suck every night for 3-4 hours, and like others I was able to discontinue it's use at 4 months without a problem -in fact she just stopped wanting it. You should be able to recognise the difference between "I just want to suck soemthing for comfort" sucking, and "I'm desperately trying to encourage your boobs to produce more milk for me" sucking

[bathmummy]

DD1 never ever had a dummy and sucked her thumb from very early on. We took a very holier than thou approach to dummies, to our shame, and went on about how we would never have a dummy, chidlren didn?t need them,, blah blah.
Then we had DD2. It is a life saver, she gets genuine comfort from them and never put her off feeding. She seemed to be aware they were different things all together and if anything it made it easier to avoid the constant feeding craving thing where they snack feed for comfort more than for thirst or hunger.
I would let your baby be your guide as they are all different but personally don?t think it will be an issue.

[Portly]

I always said I wouldn't use a dummy but haven't spent several hellish nights where dd screamed herself stiff and purple having done all we thought possible to soothe her, the midwife suggested a dummy and it has been marvellous, wouldn't be without one! I am still bf, she is putting loads of weight on, really happy, sleeps through the night at 2 months and I am no longer waiting for the windows to shatter with ear-piercing cries!!!
(and just ignore anyone who says " do you think she really needs that?"!?)

[Portly]

sorry - first line should be "having" not "haven't"

[starlover]

my ds is 2 weeks old and has a dummy, and is breastfed. He refused to breastfeed when he was first born, and one of the midwives told me it was because he had a dummy... but a few days after we got home he took to the breast just fine, and has been b/f ever since!
He has the dummy when he is finding it hard to get settled at night, and usually spits it out once he is asleep.
don't have any problem with "nipple confusion"!

[Pinotmum]

I was another one totally against dummies pre baby but dd was a sucky child who would have stayed on the boob all day. We introduced a dummy and she was fine breast feeding - no nipple confusion. With ds did the same but sooner (straight out of hospital had a dummy waiting) and he also continued to breast feed fine.

[Easy]

My ds (now a strapping 5 y.o.) was breastfed from birth, and I had dummies ready at home when he was first born. He was perfectly happy, fed well, settled well at night, and made a transition to bottle-feeding when it became necessary (my father died, I had to be away etc.)

I would recommend using a dummy.

oh BTW my ds gave up dummies all by himself at 4 months old.

[Marketa]

Why don't they allow dummies in maternity units if baby is breastfed? Does it ever cause problems?

[sarahplus2]

hi, i have an 8 yr old who i bf til she was 10mns and never used a dummy cos of the nipple confusing issue and god i wish i had, she continously wanted to suck 24/7 and it was unbearable. this time round {i have a may04 dd} i introduced a dummy from the day i got out of hospital and it helped no end. the best advice i got was to find a dummy that resembles your nipple! so as i havent got orthodontic shaped nipples i went for the newborn cherry type. hope this helps.

[aloha]

Marketa, some prem units do use dummies and they have been found to increase babies endorphins (natural painkillers and happy hormones). My ds had a real need to suck and a dummy saved my sanity - he would have sucked all night and day given a chance. People will often say very mean things to you if you give your child a dummy - that you are 'shutting them up' or 'not meeting their needs' but do ignore them - all children are different and have different needs. My daughter (two weeks old) does not seem to have the same need. From my research I would say nipple confusion is a myth. I also breastfed and used a dummy.

[chipmonkey]

My DS3 was prem and was given bottles of my EBM in special care but took to the breast no problem. I totally breastfed him from when he came home. But some people in the same situation seemed to have difficulty getting them to latch on. He was given a dummy in special care also but that was when I wasn't looking! Was upset about it at the time but it didn't affect him at all in the end.

[aloha]

Chipmonkey, you shouldn't be upset. There are several studies that show that using a pacifier is very good for prem babies. A study in the British Medical Journal discovered that - I quote - "Non-nutritive sucking reduced the length of hospital stay and did not affect various other outcomes. Based on this evidence, nurses in neonatal intensive care units may wish to discuss the introduction of non-nutritive sucking with parents of premature infants." - by other outcomes, they meant things like taking to breastfeeding etc.

[chipmonkey]

I wouldn't have been upset if someone had told me that in the unit. communication levels were v. bad. I was more upset because I had asked for him not to have a dummy and they gave it to him anyway.

[chipmonkey]

PS dummy wouldn't bother me now after reading all this. Had been reading a lot about "nipple confusion" on American websites!

[bunjies]

Hi lilliput - snap, my 3rd baby, dd2, was also born on 13th Feb and we introduced a dummy on day 2! She is also a very sucky baby and I can tell when she wants to bf and when she just wants to suck something for comfort. I don't want to be used as a human dummy so I would rather have her suck a dummy for a while which we can then remove later on (although she usually spits it out herself later) than let her chew on me for hours or scream the house down. You know your ds better than anyone and if you think he just wants to suck for comfort then by all means introduce a dummy.

[Calmriver]

I gave mine a dummy at 2 days, she is now 6 months old, and isn't that reliant on it anymore. It served it's purpose, but now she has it for bed times only. while teething, she sometimes needs the extra comfort, to chew on it. I don't think there is anything wrong with the dummy early.

[milward]

Don't know if it'd put him off feeding as he should be happy to bf & get some milk! but it could cut down on the time he spends suckling at the breast as he'd have the dummy & this reduction in being at the breast would cause a reduction in milk supply as with bf demand equals supply. Also just letting your baby 'comfort' suck at the breast can inhibit the return of periods for many months in some mothers - a bonus if you're not looking forward to the return of them.

[eidsvold]

it has not made a difference to our dd2 - she had a dummy and some bottles and breast fed.,.. now just breastfed but she has no problem with having a dummy and being breastfed.