Using a Dummy?

[@llli*madison.matt]

My two-week old baby girl was 7lb2oz at birth, dropped to 6lbs10oz at her lowest, and now at two weeks, is 8lb6oz. She seems to want to eat all the time, which isn't a problem for me, but sometimes, and especially at night she will want to nurse several times an hour. She is peeing and pooping normally and sleeping well. My concern is with spitting up. Since she demands to eat so often, and I did struggle with OALD/OS with DD1, she has massive spit ups that worry me. I do not want to give her a pacifier, but it seems to me that she just has an intense desire to suck for comfort and is actually getting too much milk at the breast. Any suggestions/advice? I always nurse on demand, but with the spitting up I'm wondering if she is genuinely hungry? And if not, maybe a pacifier would help soothe the need to suck and eliminate the discomfort of filling up too much?

[@llli*mommal]

It's generally recommended that pacifier introduction be delayed until at least 3-4 weeks, when most babies have mastered the art of breastfeeding and mom's milk supply is well-established. So I would wait a week or two, just to be on the safe side.

Don't worry about spit-up unless the baby seems to be uncomfortable when it's happening. Spit-up that is not accompanied by evidence of pain or poor growth is a laundry problem, not a health problem, and it's a normal part of being a baby. The sphincters that hold stomach contents down where they belong are weak in a young baby, so spit-up can happen even when baby is getting an average or low amount of milk when nursing.

[@llli*scienceteachermommy]

DD and DS2 were spitters and I had pretty normal supply. DS1 was not. I must admit, however, that I introduced pacifiers (dummies) to my kiddos early, but after I was sure they were good nursers. With DS2 he liked to be held like he was nursing with my chest holding the pacifier in place. I did only use them after we had nursed when it was clear he was only comfort nursing.

[@llli*worknpump]

I've started using a pacifier with DD at 3 weeks...often she will want to nurse for comfort but gets mad when milk comes out (I have some OALD). The pacifier has helped with that. Her wets and poops are great so I'm not worried about it.

[@llli*lllmeg]

Spitting up will not hurt baby or affect milk supply. Using a pacifier might. Also if you have oald, prolonging the time between feeds may make the flow worse the next time you nurse, not better, making the spitting up worse possibly. This is why one of the first things suggested for oald is to nurse frequently. Have you tried the various techniques for helping baby handle overactive letdown flow?

Whenever you introduce the paci, I suggest that moms be very conscious and judicious about how much and when they are used. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with using a paci once breastfeeding and supply is well established, but overuse of pacifiers can cause mischief.

[@llli*hippehpanda]

I hate to admit this, because I was always vehemently against pacifiers (I sucked my thumb in my sleep as a kid and have the overbite to prove it), but I caved on the first night in the hospital and gave my son a pacifier. He was nursing non stop. I mean literally all except for like five minutes every hour. It was just too much for me to handle, but after about three days with the pacifier he figured out that if he was full he didn't need to suckle and now he only uses it when he goes to bed or when he's being fussy but I know he's full.
If you're sure your little one is getting a full tummy you could try switching your nipple with the pacifier immediately after a feed and see if she doesn't manage to do a little better at figuring out when she is done.