Parents will often ask me about using pacifiers. I've tried to think about
informed consent in my answer.
The bottom line is that all babies need to suck. Obviously the first and
best place to do that is at the breast - and I discuss how nice it is to
have "trainers" available before the milk comes in, and the process of
calibrating the supply.

Knowing that babies need to suck, and that they're going to LOVE doing it,
we next need to think about where they're going to do that sucking. Since
parents will hear from at least one person, "Don't let that baby use you as
a pacifier" - we talk about why the BREAST is the best place to suck the
first couple weeks. (It would be my choice beyond that too.....)

So - knowing that this baby needs to suck, you can choose to let him/her
suckle at breast, or use a pacifier, or encourage the thumb.

Really - isn't it this simple?  And after education, it is a personal
preference which avenue the parents choose (although the breast CLEARLY has
an awful lot of benefits compared to the other two choices!).

Parents seem to respond well to this. (It reminds me of one of our pedis,
who told one of my Lamaze classes, "If two people you like and respect tell
you two different things, you can probably do anything you damn well
please.) They're so bombarded with advice (let alone info) and so want to do
"the right thing". But you sure are bucking the culture to keep on offering
the breast ad lib!

Dawn Kersula in blue-sky Southern vermont (we had 5 inches of snow on
Saturday)
Mom to Three - one a pacifier user, one a thumb sucker (I had OALR), and the
third a purist!

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