Jac with a pacifier - It is huge!
Jac's nurse last night told me she had given him a pacifier with breast milk on it and that he sucked on it for 20 minutes. I am not a huge fan of pacifiers in general (especially not when they are used for calming) but Jac's case is a little bit different. He is now 34 weeks old (from time of conception) and his suck reflex should be starting to kick in - but he has to learn how to do it. Sucking on his hand, or a pacifier, or an empty breast is considered non-nutritive sucking which he needs to practice before he can transition to nutritive sucking for breast feeding.
I have told the nurses to put into their care plan that I don't want the pacifier used for calming - only for introducing the taste of breast milk and non-nutritive sucking practice. I feel very torn about the use of pacifiers - there is so much conflicting information out there and it seems every person I talk to has a different opinion. This is a difficult one and I reserve the right to change my mind.
I gave him one this afternoon after we had finished his cares with some breast milk on it. He sucked on it for 2 minutes and then spit it out. I would prefer that he not enjoy pacifiers and save me the decision!
I totally understand your feelings about pacifiers - I've not used them with either of my boys. Emmett (age 4) never sucked his thumb, but Luke (10 months) does. He clearly is comforted by it. At first it bothered me, but when he was sucking his thumb in the grocery store, soothing himself for about 10 minutes when I wouldn't have been able to nurse, I realized how nice it is for him. Obviously this is your choice, but right now when you cannot soothe him with nursing, I don't think a pacifier would be so bad. Does anyone know if you'd likely be able to "wean" him off of it with extra nursing for soothing after you're out of the hospital?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't think you can make a wrong decision here, so go with your gut. And if your gut changes, go with that, too. :)
I totally understand about the pacifier. Andrew never took one. Matthew had a pacifier in the NICU. I worried about it too. When he got bigger he sometimes just seemed to like to suck for a while after he was done breastfeeding so we let him take the pacifier because I needed a little break. It sounds like right now Jac needs it to learn the sucking reflex. When you are able to nurse him you can decide what to do. And of course you can change your mind as much as you want! I am so happy to hear of Jac's progress & his weight gain and it sounds like things are going much better. You are so lucky to have such a wonderful family. I keep Jac in my prayers and think of all of you often. Take care. Karen Bristing
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