Offering the breast for comfort

[susiemj]

My dd is 10 weeks and bf well. We haven't used a dummy and haven't really had significant problems with crying.

During the evening she gets fractious. She doesn't seem to be hungry, dirty etc she just needs some calming down in order to sleep.

We have a bath / feed / sleep thing going on but sometimes she needs calming before this sort of time.

If I offer my breast she takes it, nibbles a bit and falls asleep. Is there anything wrong with doing this?

She usually has no problems going off at night.

Nothing wrong at all I'd say. Sounds rather lovely. Congratulations on your new baby.

definitely nothing wrong with that

Nothing wrong with doing this.

You are happy
Baby is happy
You are not making a rod for your own back

I remember those days - bliss.

I'll join in the chorus - nothing wrong at all. Everything right about it, in fact. You're her mummy and you're comforting her. Babies like to suckle - dummies are only nipple substitutes after all. My dd preferred the real thing too.

It's great as they get a bit older too - no agonising about what's wrong or how to calm them down or anything. Boob = happy baby

Nothing wrong, sounds like you're both having a lovely time. Good for you.

Have fun, enjoy your baby

Thankyou! I'll go comfort away!

hi susie, i do this too and very often pop her on for 2 mins cos i know it'll put her to sleep when tired, much easier than pacing the room with her for half an hr! was worried about it being Bad Habits but read something nice in the dr sears book, they said it actually creates a positive sleep association for the baby, ie instead of you worrying oh god he/she will never go to sleep without my boob in their mouth, they're actually more likely to fall asleep more happily when they're older, as it's always been a pleasant thing for them and not a stressful,screaming till purple experience!

How lovely! My DD is almost 10 weeks old and BF and she likes to suckle for comfort too. She has now found her thumb and uses that instead of boob but still likes the snuggle

Oh I like that Caz10, the positive sleep thing.. Yeah I agree its soooo much easier/nicer/quicker than pacing up and down etc. Ds (12w) is on and off a lot all day but sometimes I stick him on if I want to eat, watch tv or mn in peace too - its a 2 way street

thats the best thing about bf imo, not having to listen to your baby cry

I'm so glad I saw this!! DS3 is nearly 5 weeks and I usually put him to the breast when he's upset even if he's just ben fed. Works a treat and I'd rather sit down an d feed him rather than pace with a screaming baby for ages! Did worry I was causing future problems for myself but this has reassured me!!

I still do this occasionally and ds is 6months old... in fact just bf'd him to sleep for his afternoon nap cos poor love has his first tooth is coming through and he's got chickenpox!

I still nurse my 18 month old DD to sleep for nap and main night sleep and she usually settles to sleep the moment I lay her down in her cot.

Thanks for telling me your experiences. I'm so glad I posted. It even does positive things!