Comfort Sucking??

As long as she's gaining weight and takes the pacifier happily, you're fine. If she's really hungry, she is letting you know. Congratulations!

This is a tricky one; sometimes when an child falls asleep while feeding you can tickle them under their feet to keep them awake. Just be thankful you are the one who is pacifing her.

i'd say she is absolutely using you as a paci =) it's perfectly normal for babies to want to suck, which is why pacifiers were invented! the ones nowadays are very pliable and shaped to fit in the baby's mouth easily (i prefer Nuk brand b/c they come in 4 different sizes and are shaped better than most). my 2 1/2 yr old just gave up her paci over the summer and she has no ill effects on her teeth OR her speech.
it's normal for a baby to reject the paci at first, but you can try putting a drop of breastmilk on the tip to help her want to suck on it. at first, you might have to pop it back in several times, but she will learn to use it instead of you. if she won't take it after several attempts, try a different brand/shape

I am sure she is using your breast for comfort. That is one of the beauties of nursing, you can comfort as well as feed your baby, Nature is wonderful that way. As a nursing mother you can comfort your baby to sleep of make her feel better after a shot at the doctor or simply enjoy a bonding moment together. A breat is not the equivalent of a bottle and just for feeding your baby....it is so much more! I found it a great tool myself and I loved making my baby happy that way.

Dont be convinced that you are doing something wrong in simly mothering your baby.

She may be comfort sucking or "using you as a pacifier" but that's actually ok. It helps establish your milk supply, which, at 4 weeks, is still necessary. Some will say that it's not good to comfort suck, but breastfeeding experts agree that it is. And it never affects bite, like a paci can!

This will not last forever. She's newly out of the womb, and it's perfectly fine.

At that age they do fall asleep easy (wished it stayed that way - lol). But she still needs to eat. I always made sure she nursed for at least 10-15 minutes. I was told to stroke her forehead, that always put her back to sleep! What worked for me (her) was to mess with her feet (tickle, rub, etc). Good luck & congrats! H. B

Sounds like she's using you as a pacifier....but she is still so young it really is ok to let her do so. You need to feed on demand....don't let it bother you right now. Although, if you would like to break her of the habit, you may just give her the paci instead of your breast. My mother in law let my hubby use her as a paci until she weaned him, and she was up every 2 hrs. nursing until he turned one yr.! Crazzzyyyy....

You might try tickling her little foot to keep her awake a little longer or give her the pacifier first it may be she is just wanting to suck.

After 3 weeks of wanting to feed every 45 minutes I figured out most of it was for comfort. I tried more pacifiers than I can count but I found one my son would take between feedings. It gave a me a much needed break.

Go out and buy a few different ones and try then. I know some people don't believe in them but after 3 weeks of very little sleep and wondering if I was a good mom it was the best solution for me.

I would just be patient with your baby! My mom-n-law would tell me they are "putting in their order" at the beginning.
So let her suck. Thats how your body knows how much milk to make. This time goes by so fast! I know all you want to do is be done and put her down and be free for 10 min. (I have 3kids, 8yr, 2 1/2, & 8mon) I have been breastfeeding for the last 2 1/2yrs, with a 3 week break in between kids. (yes feeding while prego)
So these are my tips:
* just relax, set up your seat, with the remote, the phone, some diapers and wipes, a drink and a snack. Make breastfeeding a thing you look forward too, not a chore!
* This time will be gone so fast! You waited 10 months to hold your baby. Just enjoy it!
*Get help! Don't worry about the house work! Family or friends, believe me they want to but are afraid to invade you, just ask! This was hard for me!
* And if you need to do stuff, get a sling you could breastfeed in. I've done this while shopping, and no one knows.(in public I wear a tank-top under my shirt so if its up no one can see skin and I pull down from the top)

Enjoy this time!

I agree with what has already been mentioned about tickling her feet. Another one I have used is switching sides. A repeated motion of sitting her up, laying her down, sitting her back up - not in a fast motion but at a pace that doesn't let her fall back to sleep at either position.

I disagree that "that's why pacifiers were invented". Breastfeeding babies need both nutrition (food) and nursing, which satisfies her need for closeness with you. This is practically a physical need with development and social learning mixed in. For instance, being up and awake when you are awake, then quiet and sleeping when you go to bed, teaches our diurnal (day and night cycles) way of life; learning the difference from day and night.

Remember that a baby doesn't have any wants. What we think of as wants are, to them, needs. They want to eat when they need to eat, etc.

Kudos to you and good luck!

It could be that your daughter has a tummy ache. When a baby's tummy hurts they may think they're hungry and want to suck until they fall asleep. I've had 3 of my 4 do this. For them the tummy aches were associated with food allergies. The oldest didn't do well with cows milk, #2 was cows milk and peanuts, #3 everything. I stopped eating whatever food was causing them trouble and it helped immensely. Some pediatricians will tell you about this, we had a great Ped for our first that clued us in. The allergy usually only lasts for the first 6 months by then a baby has developed what's need to breakdown the enzymes in the foods you're eating and giving in the milk. Breastfeeding is awesome!
Good Luck!

A.-SAHM of 4, ages 7, 5, 2, 2 mo.

At that age babies are big time sleepers. They sleep like 16-20 hrs or something, it is pretty amazing. I remember that I would try and tickle my son's cheek when I would see him falling asleep and try to get him to suckle more. They can nurse even though they are sleepy it just takes a little bit to remind them what they are doing. Sometimes when I would see him dropping off to sleep I would just slightly pull the nipple back which would cause him to latch on and suck. Also, I think about 10min on each side is pretty good for her age. She may be a baby that has to nurse every 2 hours or so because she drops off to sleep. It is a bit tiring and consuming but it is a short season until she is more wakeful. I think I nursed my son like 12 times a day at that age! Best wishes and congratulations!!

My daughter did this as a newborn too. She would fall asleep because of warmth and comfort. Try nursing her with her clothes off. Or gently stroke her feet to keep her 'awake', or stroke her head as she nurses. Keep her a little "annoyed" or stimulated to keep her awake while nursing! My husband would tickle her feet as she nursed. It also helped him bond during this early stage!

I had the same issue with my child. She fell asleep everytime she fed. I had to really work at keeping her up. I did not want it to be come a habit.

My lactation counselor suggested to make her uncomfortable. Every time she fed I would take off all of her clothes and if that did not work, I would put a cool washcloth on her back if she started falling asleep.

Hello N.,
Our baby boy did the same thing. Every time he would nurse, he would fall asleep. It wasn't anything to do with his not being hungry though, so I don't think your baby is just using you as a pacifier. Babies just need so much sleep at that time...and what feels like constant feedings!

If I remember correctly, at that age my son was waking and eating every 3 hours. It would take an hour to nurse him, though, because he kept falling asleep! Add to that a diaper change and there's not much sleep left to be had in between!

We tried the tickling, as well as running a damp cloth over his forehead/head, and taking his clothes off, etc. Sometimes they worked. Sometimes they didn't.

Just do what you can to make sure she continually re-awakens and gets her full feeding before putting her back down again. Pretty soon she'll be giving you more and more times between her feedings and you'll be able to sleep...especially if she's full and content when you lay her down.

This phase will pass very quickly and then (believe it or not) you'll miss it! I know I do! (Connor is 21 months old now)

I hope this helps!
D.

She could be wanting a little snack, ha. But, I bet she's just wanting that comfort. Most bottlefed babies get fed too fast and need that extra sucking desperately. But, all babies will want it. It's normal. That is why I did train my babies to use a pacifier for those times it was inconvenient to comfort them naturally. I wouldn't be too concerned unless it is truly disrupting your day or sleep. You don't want to start a habit that will bite you later. But, it is perfectly natural and normal. It is an amazing thing too! I wish we as adults were that easily calmed and contented. **By the way, my kids wouldn't take most pacifiers until my mom hunted one down that she used to use. It had a much longer and straighter mouth piece (similar to those from the hospital) that the baby could actually keep in her mouth even when not sucking. To train this, you need one that won't pop out just because they let go for a second.

I agree with the posts so far that encourage you to try to keep her awake to feed. I also wanted to add that I personally loved that I could help my son fall asleep that way. In a sense I guess he was "using me as a pacifier," but I'd so much rather he got pacified by me in a relationship than by a thing. As everyone else said, this phase will pass quickly. If you continue to nurse her as she grows you will go through many interesting phases in your breastfeeding relationship, some of which you will love and some of which you will long to end.
Best wishes.

If she is doing this during a normal feeding time, then try to keep her awake by tickling her feet or taking her clothes off. If she is wanting to nurse in between feedings (or when you feel like she really isn't hungry), then give her a pacifier instead. Most babies do this...they just love that snuggle time! You can still cuddle her while she has the paci, but at least you can keep your shirt on! :-)

Alicia is absolutely correct. This is a perfectly normal behavior, and usually lasts about 6 mos. 6 mos is the best age to wean from a pacifier too. My son had his until he was about 3, but only for nap times. In retrospect I wish I had weaned him from it earlier, but it didn't hurt him to have it.

It is a definite comfort thing, and I agree that you want to try and keep her awake for feedings.

Good luck!

N. D-
I have no advice for you but wanted to thank you for asking. I have a son who is 5 weeks old and I am going through the same thing so your post helped me out. Thanks!

Congratulations on choosing to breastfeed! I don't think anyone's mentioned this site: Kellymom. It's an excellent resource for all things breastfeeding and this page that I'm linking here talks a lot about the questions you're having about comfort nursing--nursing needs are not simply biological but encompass a range of things...
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/comfortnursing.html