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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Help!! I'm not a dummy!!!

13 replies

Kirstie76 · 10/09/2005 21:25

HI,

I am seriously thinking about stopping bf altogether and switching to formula as ds is starting to treat me as a dummy and is wanting to suck at my nipples 24/7 ....

I have to get him used to a bottle for some of the time anyway as I may have to go back to work earlier than I thought (job change) and he needs to spend some time with his father (lone parent) but I had wanted to bf morning and night for as long as possible. Is there any way that I can stop him suckling at me like a dummy as it's starting to hurt and I don't want that!!!!

OP posts:
KateF · 10/09/2005 21:28

How old is ds? My dd is 13 months and would never take a bottle or a dummy just me! I,ve just had to get used to it and actually find her so sweet I havn't the heart to stop her (Yes I know v. soppy mummy but she'll be my last baby!)

Original poster
Kirstie76 · 10/09/2005 21:37

This is part of my problem: he's only 7 weeks and i'd wanted to bf until he's at least 6mths.

Don't seem to be able to express either so would have to be formula at least during the day

I don't think you're soppy - i wish i could!

OP posts:
fqueenzebra · 10/09/2005 21:45

I found that I wasn't very good at distracting my first baby, I got better at it with my 2nd & 3rd, so they didn't comfort feed so much. What do you do to try to distract him (presumably he won't take a dummy?)

Psychobabble · 10/09/2005 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KateF · 10/09/2005 22:11

Also when they're very little they need to feed a lot and go through growth spurts where the extra feeding stimulates your milk supply to increase. I know how you feel - it can be overwhelming but stick with it and in a few months it will be second nature.

mears · 10/09/2005 22:24

Kirstie76 - feeding at this stage should not hurt so just make sure he is latching on properly. Sometimes you can get a bit lax and if he is not on well he will not be able to get milk as effectively then want to feed more often. At 7 weeks he may be going through a growth spurt. It will settle again. If you feel he does not need feeding have you actually tried a dummy? Better than switching to formula IMO.

milward · 10/09/2005 22:25

Your baby could be upping the milk supply - could be a growth spurt. Let your little one bf as they want - it will pass.I remember my dds going through times of lots of bf and then only bf when needing to feed iyswim.

aloha · 10/09/2005 22:50

Also breastfeeding (as opposed to breastmilk) has many advantages and some of those must come from the act of being in your arms suckling. It is enormously comforting for a baby and floods their body with the stress reducing, painkilling, happiness-promoting hormones called endorphins. Also six/seven weeks is the prime time for a big growth spurt in which they really need the milk and to cause you to make more milk - it will v probably settle down soon. And if it really hacks you off, detatch him, pop him in his pram and take him for walk to a cafe and get a break. And Mears is, of course, right. It shouldn't hurt. Your latch may need checking. If it isn't right your ds may not be getting enough milk and it will hurt you.
Don't give up over this. You can sort it and it won't be forever.

Aero · 10/09/2005 23:03

For this exact reason we gave ds1 a dummy which he didn't take to at first, but because he was always wanting to suckle either for milk or on my little finger, I was a bit persistant (having been totally anti-dummy before!). He finally accepted it and things were fine after that and I bf him 'til 15 mths. Needless to say dd and ds2 have also more or less had dummies forced upon them and both have been bf to around a year too. Both ds1 and dd stopped using them altogether at around 2.5 years with no real trauma.
Don't give up (unless you really want to) - this will pass I'm sure. Do check his latch too - because when I got this right (after several weeks), bfing was so much easier and more comfortable, having just been tolerable before, but I was determined to keep going as I loved the closeness I felt with bfing him.

Original poster
Kirstie76 · 11/09/2005 08:37

It's not that he's feeding as such - he's taking the nipple and just sucking on it like you would a dummy - I stop him when he does it but he jsut does it again and again.

I have tried a dummy but at first he wouldn't take it and when he eventually took it I ended up at his cot every 10 minutes as when he lost it he woke up and cried!

I'd love to breast feed until he's at least 6 months morning and night with formula feeds during the day (as I said he's going to nursery soon and I can't express) but I don't like this newfound ability to suck just my nipple!

OP posts:
fqueenzebra · 11/09/2005 21:08

that doesn't sound good. Maybe he really has got confused about his latch, and is trying to milk you like he'd drink from a bottle. Can you phone the NCT or the Breastfeeding Network, see if there is anyone in your area who could help you out meeting with you face-to-face? Then they could assess if he's latching on wrong & might damage you, or talk thru with you what's happening.

The thing about babies is that they only know how to do one thing feed. So anything that's bothering them, they try feeding in case that fixes it. If it's a bit of gas, they're tired, they're cold, whatever they try to feed, because they don't know what else to do (except cry, really). Which is why I suggested trying to distract him. Talking at length with an expert face-to-face might help you understand his needs better, or what you can do to get thru this difficult patch.

I really hope you find a way to continue, it's grand when it works.

Original poster
Kirstie76 · 11/09/2005 21:57

They do breastfeeding cafe's at the fire station on a Friday morning so I think I'm going to drop in there if he doesn't stop this week!!!

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 11/09/2005 22:13

The age he's at is typical for growth spurts, Kirstie, he's probably boosting supply. btw I find that I express much more when away from baby, whe I'm with him he gets it all IYKWIM!

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