So - we are using a paci! I never thought I would do it but it is very quickly becoming our new best friend. Nic really likes to suck! The theory we have developed with the help and advice of a bunch of different people is that Nic has been overeating. He has been eating when he just wants to suck - because my boob was the only thing he had to suck on.
Sometimes I would notice that he would suck and pull off, over and over again. I think that during these times he may have just been looking for something to suck on and he really wished milk wouldn't come with it.
I also think I may have been overfeeding at any particular feeding. With all of my experience with Jac and wanting him to eat more, I kept on re-offering Nic the boob, even after he had pulled off and stopped. I think during some of these times he was continuing to eat even after he was satiated.
We shall see but things are going much better. The night before last he had one 5.25 hour stretch that he slept! Yeah! That is the magical five hour mark! Last night we did not do quite as well but still enough that I was not out of my mind tired this morning.
We will have to deal with taking the paci away when he is older - perhaps we will only need to use it during this transitional period but somehow I have a feeling it is here to stay for a while. Sometimes you just have to take the "Whatever Works" and run with it - so you can sleep!
Welcome to the dark side! We ended up taking Odessa's paci away just a few months ago. It was surprisingly easy. We built it up in our minds to be huge and difficult, but when we actually did it she just whined a bit and then got over it.
ReplyDeleteI'd say don't sweat it too much for now - it's giving you a bit of peace, and it's definitely possible that giving it up may not be as bad as you think...