# Looking for alternatives to comfort sucking



## Frazzled Mama (Nov 12, 2003)

Just wondering if anyone has an alternative to comfort nursing? My 6 week old has his nightly meltdown and fights sleep and uses the breast for comfort. He has difficulty keeping large amounts of milk down and will inevitably throw up his entire feeding if I let him nurse too long. The laundry certainly is piling up with barf blankets! During the day he still throws up some but at least I can unlatch him before he gets to full and he's still happy. We try shorter more frequent feedings which helps a little.

At night we rock him, carry him in the sling and try other soothing methods to calm him. I've tried a pacifier, offering my finger to suck on etc. but he really just wants the breast. It breaks my heart to see him rooting and crying but I'm stumped as what else there is to offer him. Any suggestions?


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## lauraess (Mar 8, 2002)

I think that at six weeks he is probobly too young to have figured out the comfort suck where they dont actually get milk (personally, i dont know When or if they actually do this as i have read)- so, for now it seems you must try the pacifier. Maybe if dh or someone else could spend time getting him used to it, enough for him to realize it works, while mom is not a very present distraction, it would work better. like when moms need baby to take the bottle it's best that she's not there or baby is frustrated thinking " hey, not THIS--- just give me the real thing already! "
Good luck.
Laura


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## Gidget (Aug 31, 2002)

Dd was like that for the first couple of months of her life. I never could get her to take other than breast until she could figure out the comfort nursing. I think that once I finally built up my low supply, she was just too used to working so hard for her food. So when my milk was finally plenty I often had to empty one side for her to comfort use. She slowly got the hang of it.


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## cinnamonamon (May 2, 2003)

I don't know if you do this already, but try to not switch sides at night except every 3 hours. That way, the side he's on will be closer to "empty" and he won't be getting to much milk. It worked for my ds, anyway -- and the pacifier occasionally (he self weaned from that at 6 months). If your baby opens his mouth far enough, you can also put your pinkie knuckle in instead of finger. It is a slightly different feeling for him.


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## lactationlady (Feb 16, 2004)

You can also try putting baby skin-to-skin with dad(baby in just a diaper, dad with shirt off) and let the baby suck on dad's (clean) finger. Sometimes just the skin-to-skin contact is enough to soothe a fussy baby. My first liked to be skin-to-skin with dad nuzzled right up under dad's chin while dh sang or talked quietly to him. Ds also like to do the "comfort nurse until he puked" routine.


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## Think of Winter (Jun 10, 2004)

Have you tried to add a few other calming methods? Swaddling, shushing, jiggling, laying him on his side? Combine that with a finger and you might be able to get away once in a while. My little guy is 6 mos now and I'm still comfort nursing him often. At 6 weeks it was around the clock even with these other things. Best of luck.


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## KoalaMama (Jan 24, 2004)

I'm with cinnamonamom. We went through a phase just like this - nurse, nurse, nurse, vomit. I finally figured that if she wanted to nurse within an hour of the last nursing she got the same side. Anything more than an hour and I'd give her the fresh one.







Worked beautifully for us.

Good luck!


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## Baby Hopes (Jul 15, 2004)

Definately don't offer a full breast if you know he's just coming in for the comfort. The hour rule is a great one.


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## nuggetsmom (Aug 7, 2002)

I am right there with you. DH won't do skin to skin because he says that DD pulls his chest hair. I in fact heard him cuss at her once and I was shocked














:
I am doing the three hour thing all day though because I have too much milk all day. SO hopefull that will be good enough soon. But I also would like an alternative because I tend to feel tired and touched out at the end of the day and DD1 needs some of my attention too.


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## moon_goddess (Jun 19, 2004)

my ds wouldnt take the *binky* at first. but we kept trying cause he would throw a fit if he got milk and didnt want it. now at 4 months he takes the *binky* and sucks his thumb







keep trying...try to give it to him after he nurses for a while, kinda slip it in, do it before he throws a fit.

hope this helps good luck


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## curlygrrl (Jan 22, 2004)

Hmm, DD has similar problems occasionally. Just today (she'll be 6 weeks tomorrow) she found her own hand and shocked me when she fell asleep on her own sucking on her hand! Probably just a fluke, but we were excited that she found her own hand. She has a strong need to suck but totally rejects the pacifier when we offer it.


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