Brand New Baby ~ Sucking Addict ~ Back Again Mommy!

[Mom2SophieNGavin]

Hi All!

It has been two years since I visited this site.  It was my lifeline with my dd when from birth to about 6 months.  After that, we had a good, solid system and I just drifted away.

Well... On Dec. 15 I gave birth to my new son.  I was so worried having a newborn and now that he's here, I keep wondering what I was so worried about.  He is a BREEZE compared to my 2 1/2 year old!  Thank heavens for the information I found under discipline on the toddler board... I needed that desperately.  Why have I been absent so long?   Guess I just thought it was for mom's of babies. 

Okay... on to my breastfeeding question! 

My baby boy likes to suck and suck and suck and suck and its driving me crazy.  I know he's only 17 days old... but he takes in a full feed.  Then, when he gets antsy or tired or if he knows I'm the one holding him, he'll root and root and root until I hook him up. 

I've been nursing somewhat on demand these first few weeks, because I wanted to get a good supply, let him know I'll always be there and see if he set up his own schedule.   He hasn't.   So now I'm anxious to intervene and yet worried it may still be too soon. 

Like my dd he is a fan of sucking and getting rid of the paci with Sophie was a NIGHTMARE!  She loved it.  Loved it big time.  He seems to be taking after her.  It took us a good deal of trouble to get rid of it even though she only used it for sleeping. 

Do I give it to him?  The paci that is?  Clearly he needs non-nutritive sucking, but if he figures out how to cope without it now, we won't have to go through it when he's two... I don't know.  I'm feel torn on it.  He did find his thumb one time for about a minute.  I can talk out both sides of my mouth on the subject and just need some guidance. 

Any thoughts?

Sorry so long!!

Heidi

[Erin M]

Hi Heidi!
Congrats on your new little one and welcome back!
17 days is still so very small, it's tough to really limit them one way or another! 
I don't have a ton of advice, but my thought is you seem to know what you're facing paci-wise, so that's really your choice if you want to fight that battle later.  My DD was a sucker too, but never took the paci.  We had a hard time getting her to sleep until about 3.5 months when she found her thumb.  She's been quite the thumbsucker ever since.  (Of course, some people would argue that the paci is WAY better than the thumb because you can actually take it away!)

Sorry I don't have any better advice!

[First Time Mom]

My Milena is a constant sucker as well, by 4 weeks I was a human pacifier so I gave her a pacifier instead. She will not go to sleep without it. I read on another post a mother told her little boy that the pacifier fairy wanted to take his to give to another boy in need (or something like that) and it worked for her, I thought it was a great idea for when the time comes to remove.