Bottle feeding with breastmilk, pacifier introduction help?

[muffinpunches]

I am 38 weeks pregnant with my second child and I have some questions about when to introduce a a pacifier or bottle. I breastfed my daughter for a year, and because I waited to introduce a bottle and pacifier, she never took either. She did finally go for a bottle around 10 months, however.

I plan to exclusively breastfeed again, but this time I want my son to be able to take a bottle of breastmilk so that I can get away for a few hours without worrying about him getting hungry and needing me. I also want him to use a pacifier because my daughter used me to soothe herself. That means that she was CONSTANTLY nursing. I'm talking every-hour-on-the-hour for the first six months. And I am not exaggerating!

So when should I introduce these things to him?

[MamaMeMe]

I nursed my daughter exclusively for the first 6 months. I gave her a bink right at the hospital it didn't have any effect on her latching. As for the bottle once I started pumping when she was 2 weeks old my hubby would give her a bottle at night so I could pump out milk for her nightly feeding and save some for when I went back to work. Don't be afraid to give him choices. Babies are so resilient if it in in the routine they will go with it. Good luck with number 2! Also don't be surprised if he has a little more trouble latching, my son took a little longer to get it than my daughter.

[kms026]

I would limit the pacifier... My daughter is just over 9 months right now and she is SO dependent on it. She has 9 or 10 teeth and I cannot seem to break her of her binky.. she just won't sleep without it. Anyway, for the bottle/breast issue, i would nurse your baby 2 or 3 times, then do breastmilk out of a bottle. then nurse 2 or 3 times, then breastmilk out of a bottle etc. If your child falls asleep while he or she is eating, subtly replace your breast or the bottle with a pacifier if you want to condition him or her to like it... slide one out and the pacifier in. I highly, highly do not recommend a pacifier, though. This is the worst habit I have my daughter in!! If you don't get them into the habit, they won't have the habit and you won't have to break it.. that's the way i look at it. A baby has no idea that a pacifier is a nice thing to have when he or she is upset, until you introduce it. Same with the nursing every hour, if you let them, they'll do it of course! I suppose a pacifier would be much better than that, though! Just try a different method other than nursing.. eventually baby is going to find out there's nothing coming out of that pacifier. Perhaps rocking him or her?

[kms026]

I would limit the pacifier... My daughter is just over 9 months right now and she is SO dependent on it. She has 9 or 10 teeth and I cannot seem to break her of her binky.. she just won't sleep without it. Anyway, for the bottle/breast issue, i would nurse your baby 2 or 3 times, then do breastmilk out of a bottle. then nurse 2 or 3 times, then breastmilk out of a bottle etc. If your child falls asleep while he or she is eating, subtly replace your breast or the bottle with a pacifier if you want to condition him or her to like it... slide one out and the pacifier in. I highly, highly do not recommend a pacifier, though. This is the worst habit I have my daughter in!! If you don't get them into the habit, they won't have the habit and you won't have to break it.. that's the way i look at it. A baby has no idea that a pacifier is a nice thing to have when he or she is upset, until you introduce it. Same with the nursing every hour, if you let them, they'll do it of course! I suppose a pacifier would be much better than that, though! Just try a different method other than nursing.. eventually baby is going to find out there's nothing coming out of that pacifier. Perhaps rocking him or her?

[cd]

My daughter did not take any pacifier and did not want the bottle either. I was told not to introduce a bottle before 6 weeks in order not to cause nipple confusion. That is what I did but my mistake was that I did not give a bottle to my daughter every day or every other days. She took the bottle the first time at 6 weeks but she did not want it at 10 weeks or after.

[t~ProudMommy~t]

A breastfeeding consultant told me to wait 4 weeks at least before offering a pacifier or bottle. At the hospital however the nurses offered my son a pacifier and he really didn't want it, but did take it a few times. He never got nipple confusion or anything like that. The day I brought my son home, because of some complications he was rushed to the ER and then air lifted to Children's hospital where he stayed for the first week of his life. During his stay there because of engorgement I had to pump, and despite me asking them not too the nurses began giving him bottles when I would have to leave the room and offering him pacifiers. I was scared that because of this he would not latch on again, but he had no problems continuing to breastfeed.
My first son however got nipple confusion by introducing a bottle and pacifier that early. So it really varies child to child.