01/12/2023
Oh the pacifier…everyone’s got strong opinions on this little baby item. When to use one, how often, how long, and whether they cause ruin in the breast/chest feeding relationship. At 11+ years into my career as a doula & lactation counselor, I’m honestly over the debate. Pacifiers are neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong. They’re one tool in a large and varied toolbox that I help my clients build. Like any other device or strategy, pacifiers can be overused. But they can also mean the difference between a parent having an overstimulation meltdown during the first weeks of baby’s life or having something to use for a moment of quiet or a bathroom break (or a moment to shovel some kind of nutrition into their adult body after focusing on baby’s intake for so long). This is especially important for neurodivergent parents with sensory needs to consider & those traversing single parenthood. Nothing in life, let alone this messy world of parenting, is black & white or all or nothing. Not the way you feed a child, not the approach to sleep routines, & not around the products or activities that help a family feel stable in total. My practice is all about finding what works for the specific family that accounts for baby’s needs + long term parenting goals. I hope to gently encourage values-based decision making with the amazing families who let me into their lives, and that means listening and troubleshooting instead of insisting or providing stringent rules around anything not safety related in a home. #
