LoriCarol wrote:
>
> Her Obstetrician had come in earlier that morning and she had
> told him how well things were going and he said, "1/2 hour a side?  She may be
> using you as a pacifier.  You might want to cut back and not nurse so long on
> a side".

Sometimes, when a baby between 3 and 12 weeks (the "colicky" or "fussy"
period) seems to "want to use Mommy as a pacifier", we have the
following scenario: Baby has just fed, wont settle, is rooting... Mom
offers the other side, but Baby rejects it, unhappy, only to manifest
signs of wanting to feed again (unsettle, rootin, etc...).  In these
cases, I encourage Mom to act as a pacifier: give the same breast many
times, so that the ejection reflex weakens, the quantity of milk
reduces, and Baby can have the soothing it seems to need... with a
little bit of hindmilk maybe. Amazingly, most Moms accept readily (I
thought being taken as a pacifier was the worst insult...) and call me
back a few days after reporting that Baby still has a fussy period
during the day, at regular hours, but is much more easier to calm.
No, I did not learn that in medical school... I was just to lazy to
negociate with 3 (1 by 1) fussy babies who just wanted to take me as a
pacifier.

Louise Denhez, MD, MPH
Montreal, Quebec, Canada