Hi Fio -

Surprisingly, I see this frequently in my patient population.  In my
experience these babies are missing the skill to know how to suck for
comfort at the breast.  Often mom has oversupply and baby cannot stay at the
breast for comfort so a pacifier is used.  Whether it is because feeding is
an aversive thing because he is drowning each time he gets to the breast or
he was just never allowed the opportunity to stay at the breast for comfort
sucking when done eating, breasts are seen as a source of food only.  Other
than oversupply, I see it when the instant baby starts to drift off to sleep
and is no longer sucking he is either switched to the second breast or
offered the pacifier "because he isn't doing anything anyway."  I also see
it when babies are arbitrarily scheduled and mom can provide enough milk for
growth on that schedule.

I think in your case, my first thought would be that mom deprived him of the
practice of comfort suckling at the breast by day 20 so this babe never had
the opportunity to learn to suck without getting food.

These babies seem to wean earlier as soon as adequate nourishment can be
taken more conformably elsewhere.  For comfort, their paci is more reliable
than there mommies.

Linda Pohl, IBCLC
Phoenix AZ
www.eBESTFed.com



FIO Says:

The friend says he makes a good distinction between wanting the paci and
wanting to nurse...if she tries to offer him the paci when he is hungry
he won't accept it, and sometimes when he's done nursing, he fusses and
wants the paci.

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