Ms. Molavi asks about our experiences with thumbsucking as indicating
needing to suckle.  Well, I believe that's true, because of my experience
with my first child, (a daughter now 6-1/2 years old).  She discovered her
thumb at about 2 or 3 months of age.  I encouraged it, as I had sucked my
thumb as a child (until I was five), and thought it was a way for her to
'self-comfort'.  However, I also took it as an indication of her wanting
to nurse, so frequently, as soon as I saw her thumbsucking, I would nurse
her.  About the age of 1 year, however, with some agonizing on my part, I
'let' her thumbsuck during the night, so I could 'get some sleep'.
However, her thumbsucking during sleep was so loud, it would keep me
awake.  I then 'had to' roll over and nurse anyway, because the loud
thumbsucking drove me crazy, particularly when she was around 2-1/2 years,
I was pregnant and not getting great sleep anyway.  By then, it was VERY
CLEAR to me that her night thumbsucking indicated wanting to nurse at
night, but she would find the thumb first, until I initiated
breastfeeding.  When she was then breastfed, she had her fill and went
back to peaceful non-noisy sleep!

My daughter at around age 5 finally stopped thumbsucking during waking
hours. However, she is an inveterate pencil chewer (now THAT drives me
crazy, yuck!), so while she does her schoolwork, I have to give her
sugarless gum or all her erasers will be eaten!  And, in REM sleep, she
will still thumbsuck, with incredibly strong suction.  It is this strong
sleep sucking that makes me worry about her teeth alignment, but the
occurence is somewhat less than as a toddler, and she no longer needs to
thumbsuck to fall asleep, at least.  Oh, yes, she was weaned after her 6th
birthday.

Because of my experience with my oldest, I NEVER offered or encouraged my
second (now 3-1/2) to thumbsuck, I just nursed whenever he wanted it.
He's never thumbsucked.  And doesn't seem to be as 'orally' fixated as my
daughter (which I'm sure is partly their individual, normal differences).
And I wouldn't be surprised if he also nurses until he's six!

     - Janna
                                ,,^,,
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @(*.*)@ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                 `-'
Janna M. Frelich                             [log in to unmask]
Applications Programmer/Analyst
Occupational Health Program                  Coordinator,
Harvard School of Public Health              HSPH Breastfeeding
665 Huntington Ave., I-1404D                        Resource Center
Boston, MA 02115