When a mom worries that her newborn is "using her as a pacifier", I have a
little pep talk I launch into that goes something like "the baby is not
'using you as a pacifier', he is using you like a mom.  Your breast is the
natural pacifier, and a plastic one is just a fake mom.   Babies don't use
moms as pacifiers, they use a pacifier as a substitute for the real thing".

Again, it is that culturally inverted thinking that bottles and pacis are
normal and breastfeeding is not.

I also do talk a bit about how the increased stimulation has a postive
effect on her milk supply, and review how to get extra rest, or how to tell
when her baby is really truly asleep and can be laid down, if her
underlying issue is that she is trapped on the couch with a latched on baby
for hours on end.  That's when I ask her if she has a sling or frontpack
carrier.  I also tell her that there is no where on earth her baby would
rather be, than snuggled dozing in her arms at her breast.  It is just like
heaven to her baby, and being in a plastic carseat with a latex plug in his
mouth is just not the same.  I remind her that these newborn days may seem
eternal but they will go by in a flash and her baby will soon become more
interested in other activities...

NancyH
Nancy Holtzman RN BSN LC
Great Beginnings New Mothers Groups and
Boston Breastfeeds
near Boston MA
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