I happened back on for just a minute and saw this.
With four of my own that I've nursed, I do know what you mean. However, we were able to successfully give all of them bottles [very occasionally - like in the hospital immediately after birth with low blood sugar or other times when we HAD to] during that time period and they all had pacifiers before they left the hospital. Two used them frequently, two occasionally. No one knows more than me the difficulty of teaching babies to nurse [that's part of the reason we HAD to do bottles sometimes, they wouldn't get it and they HAD to get some food by that point - dehydration was becoming an issue though persevering was difficult it was more than worth it] and of supply.
IMVHO, giving her one or two bottles, even at 3 days or so, in place of one or even two feedings could easily cause no problems at all, especially if she's already doing well. Can it cause problems? Sure with some babies. I was very fortunate that none of mine were those babies [because at times, their health was literally coming into play as they struggled to learn] and something tells me theirs isn't either
. And no - the pacifiers had nothing to do with the problems mine had. The one that had the worst problems learning to nurse, didn't really use it and the one that had the worst problems overall [DS] had medical things going on - technically speaking, he was a great nurser, but not strong enough and actually went most of the first month with both a bottle and nursing at nearly every feeding [and didn't feel I *had* to stay and nurse him *every* time - to the point where I planned shopping around it etc - if I needed to be out and about, I or DH gave him a bottle only and later went another week in the hospital at 3m with no nursing at all in an effort to carefully measure his intake].
Is it always recommended? No. Is one or two bottles make or break for nursing? IMO, not usually. I've had other friends do the same but for convenience sake [which was RARELY our motivation that young] and only one of the six [ten with mine] total babies had any problems [but that was more a mom thing than a baby thing IMO].
And a mom that can barely function after being up all night won't help matters any either =/. BTDT too... One of the things DS' doc told the nurses when I was in the hospital with him trying to figure out what was wrong was to make sure my needs were taken care of and that I got fed well and slept as well as possible because a stressed mom can effect production too. Sometimes a couple hours of sleep is worth the risk of confusion - BTDT too.
Yeah - I know that's a long response to something that's fairly trivial overall - maybe it's something I *can* defend without making half of everyone mad about my... literary? plot? whatever choices - but it is something I thought about before putting in and not something I'm uninformed about.
Carol
