Do you let your baby use you as a pacifier?

Question

I think my one month old is starting to use me as a pacifier. She's spending an hour breastfeeding at a time some days here recently. Please drop a comment of why you answered the way you did

Answer

Frequent nursing in the early weeks is important for establishing a good milk supply, they don't use us as pacifiers. Pacifiers were invented to allow babies to satisfy their sucking needs when mom was not available, not the other way around.  Breastfeeding is not just about the food . A baby can be hungry,thirsty, tired, feeling bad, overstimulated, bored, lonely, in the mood for cuddles  or attention and all are good reasons to nurse.

Answer

Breastfeeding is a relationship that is about much more than just food. The whole experience of being close to mom, having skin-to-skin contact, smelling mom’s familiar scent, hearing her voice and seeing her face, receiving the comfort of warm milk, and the biologically specific components of human milk, all work together to provide the necessary environment for healthy growth and development of your baby.
I have heard people say that comfort nursing is bad because it teaches children to associate food with comfort, but breastfed babies aren’t thinking “I need comfort, so I need to eat”. They are thinking (or probably more accurately, feeling) “something’s not right, I need Mom”. Any milk they get while nursing is an added benefit, but what baby really wants and needs is the comfort and security of being close to mom. Research is showing us that babies who are not breastfed are more likely to be obese, and one theory as to why this is, is that breastfed babies have control over how much milk they take in, and they learn to eat only until they are full. For babies who are not being fed at the breast, someone else has control over the feeding, and bottle fed babies often end up taking in more milk than they really need/want. It is theorized that the overeating that bottle fed babies often experience can set the baby up for overeating later in life as well. There are also hormones present in breastmilk that help to control hunger and  metabolism. These hormones are absent in infant formula.
Breastfeeding is the ultimate mothering tool. You can’t go wrong putting your baby back to breast even if he did eat only an hour ago. Your baby may not be looking for food, but rather the comfort and security that comes with breastfeeding. You’re not being a pacifier, and you’re not creating any bad habits, you’re responding to your baby’s needs. The only time that frequent nursing may be cause for concern is if your baby is not gaining weight appropriately, isn’t having lots of wet and dirty diapers, or consistently seems unsatisfied right after coming off the breast. If this is the case, it would be a good idea to follow up with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant to determine if something else is going on.

Answer

No, they nurse to feel safe as well and I never want to turn my baby down when he's "saying" that he needs me in any way. It just doesn't feel right for me.

Answer

When she was younger, yes. My daughter also wanted to comfort nurse. I just didn’t want to constantly do that so I used a pacifier. Nothing wrong with using one. She stopped using on at around 7 months.

Answer

i read this as do you let your baby use a pacifier. the answer is yes, but i put no. lol

Answer

Hi my due is in November , but I’m getting contractions near ribs what does it mean

Answer

In the first 2 months I did. But after that she slowly started nursing less and less. Cluster feeding totally stopped by 2 months. Now she just eats and pulls away. She doesn't use me as a pacifier unless she's not feeling good, and in that case I don't mind. (she's 6 months btw)

Answer

Mine tried to so I eventually got her a pacifier. I literally had time for nothing because she always wanted to comfort nurse and no one could help me because of that.  I only use the paci when we're in the car or if some one else has her and she wants it

Answer

I dont cause I cant stand the feeling, lol. When she switches from eating to comfort sucking, it feels more tickly and just makes my skin crawl, so I unlatch her at that point.

Do you let your baby use you as a pacifier?

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