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b f-ing and dummies

SocksxxSocksxx
in My baby was born in Nov 2010
Anyone using a dummy while bf-ing? I just cant settle iz unless I put my finger in her mouth but we have ad such a challange with the bf-ing I don'rt want to set her back, any ideas? Also I know some of you are bottle and breast how early did you do this, the syringe top ups are exhausting! xx

Replies

  • gembagsMummy2BoysgembagsMummy2Boys
    Hay socks image

    Last "spoke" to you hun in ltttc image

    I have only been BF for 5 days and not sure what works for me will work for others but i have been using TTCTN bottles with my expressed milk in as top ups and only today when we were out did i offer DS a dummy and it was also TTCTN dummys and when were home he took to the breast right away.

    Hope you and baby are well image

    gembags x
  • SocksxxSocksxx
    hey, its good to fially be here isnt it!! I have the same bottles and dummy just reakky nervous about doing anything that will set that back xx
  • -kia--kia-
    Hey hun, Tegan has had a dummy from day 3. She is a sucky baby and after 2 nights of practically no sleep (following on from a night in hosp before having her with no sleep) I thought sod this and bought a dummy. She wasn't always feeding, just wanted to suck on boob or finger whilst being held. We had a nightmare with my son where he wouldnt settle at nights so for the first 2 1/2 weeks (when i wasn't in hosp) my husband sat up with him till he was too tired to stay awake any longer and we thought we just can't do this again..not with 2 kids to look after. She doesn't always want the dummy but it definately helped and other than the other night she settles well and sleeps well. We also ended up giving her a bottle at..ummm 8 or 9 days old as she just wasn't settling after feeding constantly for hours and as she hadn't gained weight we were told to do formula topups. She now generally has a bottle before bed and one in the daytime as well as bf-ing as and when as I don't have enough milk (especially if I don't get enough sleep!) and she is absolutely fine switching between breast & bottle and dummy (and finger still lol)

    My son was also combination fed but from 2 1/2 weeks old (thats what finally settled him at night..stupid not enough milk!) and he had no problems switching between boob & bottle - he wasn't keen on dummys though

    We use the Tommee Tippee bottles & have the mam 0-2 month dummies. The dummies were picked because I couldn't decide which would be best so I went with the ones with the cutes picture lol.

    I honestly and truly believe that its better to introduce (or try to) bottles etc earlier rather than later when lo's have got set in their ways. I've seen lots of posts on here from people who've got to 6 months and their lo's won't take a bottle...and at 6 months they are a bit young for bribing with chocolate milkshake which is how I got my son to take milk from a sippy cup rather than bottle lol.

    Btw...was it you with the cats that posted a bit back? If it was you.. how are you doing with the cats and baby?
  • rosemary20rosemary20
    Imogen didnt take her dummy image we try every night but she drops it and screams so we dont bother now. I might reintroduce once bottles are also used... which is also taking time.
    She just loves my boobies too much, oh dear.
  • ycchickycchick
    I tried Oliver with a dummy a few weeks ago but he just spat it out. He has taken EBM from a bottle well over the last few nights and gone back onto the breast with no problems so might try again with the dummy.
  • SocksxxSocksxx
    Kia yes I have a cat, He is being really good actually. He sits with me when I feed her, I have left him in the room with her and he just sleeps. The nearest he has got it to sniff her head and then he goes back to finding a comfy spot to sleep. xx
  • LSG191110LSG191110
    Cohen had a bottle of expressed milk on day 3. He was jaundiced and we needed to monitor how much fluid he was taking. Each time I bf him for a while and then topped up with expressed milk. Even so, the next couple of feeds he was a bit lazy sucking - the bottle makes it too easy! He adjusted to both within a couple of feeds though and will now take both.

    We haven't tried a dummy, but he is beginning to suck his thumb! I don't mind too much as he'll be able to self-pacify and we don't need to worry about sterilising dummies or him spitting it out and then not being able to find it again in the night.
  • -kia--kia-
    Thats good your cat is being good.. mine has sniffed Tegans head a couple of times and tries to squash onto my knee if she's on there (or huffs and stomps off if theres no room lol.) She snuck under the duvet last night to sleep by my legs and when I was half awake I panicked that I'd fallen asleep feeding Tegan and had pulled the du vet over her till I twigged that my boobs weren't down by my legs and it had to be the cat lol.
  • jellyfishpinkjellyfishpink
    Jacob will take a dummy but I hate seeing the mark it leaves on his mouth! He will put his thumb in his mouth but today he started rubbing his face on his muslin cloth and this calmed him down. His sister never had a dummy and just had a muslin cloth to help her settle so hopefully he will be the same.
  • mummabear-72331mummabear-72331
    Hey hon, was just coming in to check on you ;\)

    Try the Nuk dummies - they are designed to be more like a nipple and they are orthodontic as well. You can get them online or in the pharmacy. They are brilliant! Friends of mine who had unsettled babies were frustrated when they couldnt get their lo to take a dummy cos they left it too late. So if it's something you would like to introduce then try it out. I dont think it would set back the bf.

    As for bottle, I agree to introduce it earlier than later. But always offer boobie first - both of them even. You can use the bottle to top up a feed or you can simply introduce a bottle to replace 1 feed (but still use ebm) - like a dreamfeed which hubby can give Izzy and you can have a rest!

    I'll try email you tomor, heading off to bed.

    xx
  • Lizzie77Lizzie77
    On night two, I was so desperate for some sleep that I tried a dummy but Alexandra wasn't really enjoying it. Night three, she started settling herself in her own bed so I've not used one since. She has sucked her thumb a few times & is a chilled wee baby so I'm pleased as I gave Juliet one (terrible colic, very unsettled baby) and I never wanted to....and she's almost 2 and still has it at night time. I will need to remove it from her fairly soon and am not looking forward to that day!! It's no great evil but I'm just happier this time that I don't need to use one. I doubt it will derail your BF but if you don't instinctively like it or feel it is making BF worse, you can always get rid & at least babes will be so young, she won't know the difference or notice it's gone!!

    Hope things are improving. Xxx
  • lBeth87lBeth87
    G/C. Isabelle is BF and has had a dummy from about 2 weeks old. She was comfort sucking so I tried her with a dum and she wasn't interested, just gagged and spat it out. I left it a week or so then when my nipples couldn't take anymore tried her again but she wouldn't suck on it, she played with it the same way she did my nipple. After a little while she started sucking on it and now she has it generally when she is fighting her sleep. It was a god send, she has TTCTN. We also tried her with TT bottles at about 3 weeks and she took it fine and went straight back on boob, no confusion at all. She's not really had many since but will take them ok as long as the milk is warm x
  • emilyegg11emilyegg11
    I have to say I was really dubious about using a dummy but we've had a terrible time with Isabella being really sick and it's helped. Basically she was crying blue murder which I mistook for hunger (even though she'd been fed less than two hours previously) and I kept feeding her every time she cried like this then of course 10 mins later she would vomit everything up because she didn't need it!

    She wasn't upset by it and would just go to sleep (digusting i know!) but I was in tears. In the end the health visitor said that bf babies can be very sucky and we realised it was a comfort thing. Now we use a dummy to settle her when she is getting really irritated and her arm and legs are frailing around! i try to take it out when she goes to sleep so she doesn't depend on it for sleep but too be honest we've found that she'll go to sleep at night without one, she only seems to need one when she is getting herself in a bit of a pickle!

    I would prefer it for her to suck her thumb but she can't quite get the hang of it yet bless her!
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