Paci Baby

Before Madelyn was born, I swore up and down I wouldn't giver her a pacifier. I mean, it was going to confuse her and she wouldn't latch or nurse correctly and everything would be downhill from there. Then we spent our first night at home, and I begged her to take that little pacifier we received at the hospital.

She didn't want to take her pacifier for the longest time, and I thought we were doing good. Her pediatrician and I talked at one point, and he encouraged me to use it when I thought she needed it. So we tried the big green soothies. She'd take them every so often. Then we moved on to the clear plastic ones. And she liked those better. I even got a cute little paci clip for her. Then we opened a different brand that we received at the shower. Now, it's hard to take them away from her. She'll gobble it up like it's her favorite thing in the whole wide world if you hold it anywhere near her face. I know that it's not technically hurting her to let her have a pacifier, but it's also caused us many "sleepless" nights, much like that first night home. She wants her paci to fall asleep, but then if she loses it, she cries. I cannot lie there and listen to her cry, so up I go. Every single night. Multiple times a night. And she really only started doing this around 5-5 1/2 months.

Now, two months later, she can finally get the pacifier into her mouth on her own (and not backwards, like she tried to do for at least a week or two!), and Anthony and I have finally gotten a week's worth of sleep!! We put her down with one pacifier in her mouth and a pacifier within arms reach of each arm. Having 3 in there for her has proven to be very helpful!

Last weekend I laid her down for a nap, and all she really wanted to do was play. I kept checking on her and she was working so hard to get two pacifiers in her mouth at the same time. When she finally quieted down, I went in to find this. I guess she gave up and figured that one was better than nothing!