I have a hard time making this an all or nothing issue. While I agree with most of what has been said, I would still have to assess each situation on an ongoing basis (excluding hearing tests, circs). First, my own experience. I nursed my daughter for only two years. I say only because I had intended on more but she had to have major urinary tract surgery when she was 2. This was extremely stressful - in part because she was on antibiotics for 9 months prior to surgery to prevent the nephritis she had been getting which had already caused kidney damage (btw, on the very positive side, the docs didn't understand why she hadn't had major infections long before her first at 15 months and finally decided it must have been the breastfeeding). Anyway, I couldn't deal with her being NPO and not being able to nurse so I decided to wean her then. In retrospect, I didn't have to but that's where I was. OK, enough on the reason for only nursing for 2 years. My daughter was an incredibly and delightfully snuggly baby from the getgo. Molding into my arms. Nursing like a pro the first time at breast, which was the day after my emergency c/section and she'd already been bottle fed. My pediatrician gave me the 'don't let her use you as a pacifier routine' (he was stupid and I changed pediatricians). HOWEVER, I do have to say that if she could have nursed 24 hours a day for the 2 years I nursed her outside of the time she spent running once she was mobile, she would have. She had an incredible need to suck and I just was not in a situation where it could be on me. At home I carried her in a front pouch essentially all the time and rarely had her in a crib. At work (I teach at a University) I had a student sitter so I could nurse her when she needed. At all times that she was not at my breast or eating, she had a pacifier in her mouth. Awake or asleep. And I had a milk supply to nurse 2 other kids. She was not allowed the pacifier in preschool but the moment she was out it was back in her mouth. She used it until she was 5. As for the need for closeness, that persisted as well and we co-slept. She was like a heat-seeking missile and would have every limb wrapped around me that she possibly could. At 13 she no longer uses a pacifier and prefers her own bed but still hugs and snuggles. I don't feel at all guilty or wrong for allowing her to use the pacifier and not me; I'd do the same again. She preferred it to her thumb, probably since it would have limited her explorations as the pacifier freed up her hands. And I think I've got a healthy kid. So - I have to say I would do a good assessment of the family and baby before I would totally veto a pacifier. In the hospital where I work mom/baby on call, there are rare and short times when I use a pacifier if mom asks. Generally that's if she needs to take a shower or spend time in the bathroom and knows she'll get very stressed if her baby starts crying. My first choice is to hold the baby while she's out but when I've got 3 other couplets, discharges, admissions, medications, etc., etc. that's not always possible. So there may be 5-10 minutes once or twice a day when the pacifier is used (or at most 15 minutes if the mom's in the shower). I just really can't get too upset about it and, in my experience, it hasn't seemed to have a major impact on effective latching. Joan *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html