Dummies and breastfeeding........

[McDreamy]

DD was 5 weeks on Friday. I am breast feeding her, she feeds well, is gaining weight but she gets alot of comfort from sucking often falling asleep at the breast only to wake up and want to suck again when put down. I would love to cuddle her all day but I now have 3 children and as you can imagine there is plenty to do here. Should I introduce a dummy? Any other suggestions?

Can you carry her in a sling? That way you can cuddle her, and have your arms more free for your other children.

My main problem with a dummy is the thought of the stress of trying to take it away at some point in the future.

Yes I know what you mean, my other 2 didn't have a dummy so I haven't had to do that. I do have a sling I could try that. At least I could get some jobs done.

I think in a way (not being nasty ) that it's a con. If they tell us they need feeding we pick them up! So slinging should help because it's keeping her close, which is what she wants. It also means you can keep all children happy at the same time! She should start to settle down soon anyway as she's coming up to 6 weeks.

I see your logic TBM - it's not neccessarily the sucking it's the closeness she wants. I know this is going to sound like a silly question but by picking her up (we also co sleep) I am not going to "make a rod for my own back" and have a baby that won't sleep, be put down etc am I?

No, you will have a happy, secure and loved little baby

Mum keeps telling me that Fifi will never go down (she's in her pram right now) because I hold her so much. I said to her the other day "Tink goes down" and that's my outlook. Tink is a happy, content, secure child and more to the point secure in me - why else would she be so loving to her sister? - if it hasn't ruined her I'm sure Fifi will be OK too.

On another forum someone was saying their HV said not to use the head support in the carseat because the baby never learns to support their head. The poster said that she and her sister when given that type of advice drop their head onto their shoulder (how many healthy adults do you know that can't hold their head up?)!

lol at not using a head support!!! That's what I want to think will happen if I hold her but I too am getting the comments about - you'll never be able to put her down, she must learnt to go to sleep on her own, you spoil her, ooh she is naughty

Yeah I get not sleeping on her own too Look at the bigger picture, she's not going to be held and cosleeping when she goes to uni but she will be secure becaue her mum loves her - not saying that anyone else doesn't!

I wonder if it might be helpful to factor in baby's sleep cycles? Young babies go through a period of light REM sleep (dreaming) before they fall into a deeper sleep. They are very rousable from REM sleep, so if put down in this phase often do wake quickly. however, many people find that if they cuddle their baby until they're in a really deep sleep with 'dead weight' arms then they can put them down and they may sleep for say 30 mins. A very young baby is unlikely to nap for much longer than this (one sleep cycle) anyway. I agree that slings are very helpful. I found it easier to carry dd for her whole nap in a sling, as that way I got the whole sleep cycle to myself, rather than waiting for her to go into a deep sleep and then having her awake crying at the end of the nap.