Help! Dummies and breastfeeding!

[Essie3]

DS - 4 weeks old, exclusively breastfed - has been screaming and sucking his hands frantically for the past 3 hours. (This is his nighttime routine...he doesn't settle until midnight.) He's been fed, although he kept aiming for my breast. My nipple is aching like mad because he's just sucking for fun.

In desperation, I took the teat off a Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottle, and stuck it in his mouth. He loves it! He's quiet, happy, and sucking away at it. He seems to be a candidate for a dummy, but will this wreck the bf?

p.s. the teat: nowhere I can get a dummy this time of night! It was improvisation!

Are you sure he's just sucking your nipple for fun? At this age they cluster feed alot in the evenings/nights. He may be hungry despite having just fed. I'd offer him the breast again.

*your breast I mean not 'the' breast!

Have now taken the teat away. DS is screaming again - total distress (me and him).

BOth of mine had dummies while being exclusively breast fed. DD was about 6 weeks when she first had her dummy, just after the onset of colic. Was a godsend.

With ds, he was a bit younger - probably around 4 weeks.

Neither of them seemed to have any confusion at all. Neither was remotely interested in bottles ever ever.

I just made sure that when they were hungry they were fed. When they were unsettled, but tanked up, then would offer them the dummy and see whether they fancied it!

Hm, will try my breast again. He doesn't take the breast in fully, though, sort of half pushes the nipple out and sucks the end, which hurts!
Feeling a bit panicky about the teat...which seems to calm him.

OH yes, cluster feeding very very common. But I always found that if they were hungry, then they would spit their dummy out pronto. But if they were well-fed and just grouchy, or with dd, in the throes of hideous colicy stomach ache, would suck for dear life.

Wish my DS ( 4 months) would take a dummy.

He starts choking when it goes into his mouth. Um, isn't choking supposed to happen when something gets into your throat and not your mouth?

Ok, so hopefully I won't wreck the breastfeeding at this stage? He is quite windy (?colicy).

And he's just gone to sleep...DH has taken the teat away. We've not managed this any other night!

You absolutely will not wreck breastfeeding by giving DS a dummy!

I have lots of breast feeding friends who use dummies quite successfully....

DD 4 weeks old today, gave her a dummy for first time few nights ago to sooth her at bedtime as she seemed to be using my boob as a dummy. Seemed to work well and me and DH where so pleased as she was going down at eight every night and feeding every 3-4 hours, settled first time and when she fell asleep dummy would fall out and she would remain asleep.
In the last 24 hours she seems to be sucking at the end of my nipple and it has become very painful. (not every time, but it has taken a long time to get her latched on properly at feeds and she has becomes very upset and wriggly when I keep bringing her off and re attaching her) When she is latched on - she had started to slurp and loose suction too!
Now I think I may have ruined her latching-on technique by giving her a dummy too soon! Have got myself in a bit of a state, feeling extremely guilty about introducing dummy too soon!! Should I ban dummy AND the occasional EBM bottles she's had??

The dummy has been great for my 4 mth old bf boy, he loves it, rarely cries and is so settled.

Used it from very young 4 weeks i think, did not interfere with bf at all.

Tetty I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. It's a real dilemma, isn't it? I really don't know what to do.
But I noticed last night that DS has given himself a lovebite (nasty purple bruise) by sucking really hard on his own arm. I'm scared people will think I'm harming him. And it upsets me every time I see it on his tiny little arm.
A dummy is better than that, surely?

Well I've banned the dummy tonight and not been tempted to use it all day (although we weren't using it during day much anyway)
She's actually gone down at 7pm first time, although I'm waiting for her to wake up and realise I'm not with her like she normally does!
Have worked really hard all day to try and improve her latching on and it is a little better, fingers crossed the dummy has not done too much damage (we only started using dummy about 5 days ago!)
DH not gonna do any EBM feeds for a while and we'll see what happens.

Let me know how you get on Essie3

I used dummy with DS from early weeks. It didn't interfere with Bfeeding at all.
And dont have any concerns about getting rid of it either - we got rid of the dummy a few weeks ago when DS was 10 months and he was used to no dummy within a day.

DD has just stated to take a dummy at 15 weeks had refused the couple of times I ahd offered before this.

Its hard to know if it will 'ruin' BF. Some friends has intro'd dummy/EBM early and some late - only one that had trouble was a late one.

KNow thats not much use - just ahve to go with what you think is right and see what happens!

Both my children were exclusively bf and had dummies (dd still does) from a few days old - caused no problems. Some babies are just really sucky I think and if it's umcomfortable to let them comfort suck (or you just don't want to as I didn't) then I can see nothing wrong with a dummy in the short term.