Nipple confusion help? :(

[unknownn]

Baby is 1 week old, breastfeeding has been great he loves it etc. 2 days ago I introduced a dummy to help me get some sleep. He’s had it in his mouth quite a lot. I just went to feed him and he will not take the breast. He’s so hungry but it’s like he’s forgotten how to suck. Takes dummy fine but won’t drink from me anymore. What do I do about this? Assume this is nipple confusion. Do I have to take dummy away? I don’t know how I’ll survive without his dummy but I don’t want to give up breastfeeding either 🥺🥺 Any advice?

I know how great the dummy is, believe me! but baby is so so little and I think you’ll have to leave off the dummy for a few weeks. If baby is sucking a dummy, you will miss signs of hunger. Also, breastfeeding is about so much more than milk. It’s comfort for baby and it is really usual for baby to use your nipple like a soother. Breastfeeding in the first weeks is all about building your supply, therefore you should be feeding baby very very regularly and allowing them to use you for comfort as it’s massively helpful in building supply and feeding them and making sure they get what they need.
Sleep is really tough (non existent) in that first bit but it will get better.

Also, in my experience when a baby goes past hunger (they’re hangry!) it can be really hard to get them to calm and latch on. The dummy may mean you have missed their feeding cues/ they have gone too long between a feed. So, until feeding is established (6wks) you may need to hold
off

How are you both this evening @unknownn? Have they managed to feed?

I had to use a nipple protector. It took a while to find one both me and my baby like but it meant i was able to breastfeed and have a dummy.

Nipple protector/shield can interfere with milk transfer meaning your baby doesn't feed as efficiently, so I'd be wary of introducing that just so you can keep the dummy.

How often was your baby waking overnight before and after the dummy?