Sleepy baby, sleepier mommy

I know she's tired!  I just know it!  The sleepy eyes and lethargic demeanor... but apparently Emerson does not realize that she's ready for bed.  Every time I lay her down, she gets very upset.  She's been fed, rocked, burped, and wrapped.  Now what?  I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until she was a wee bit older.  I suppose I'm just spoiled by her usually conking out right away.  All right, she now has the pacifier... I feel as if I should give some sort of excuse for that.  Should I?  

Paci vs. No Paci

Paci, Binky,...Apparently, there's this huge debate over whether a pacifier is okay for a child to have. Of course, there's my mom's argument: "You used one, and you turned out fine."  Of course I did.  But what if... could a pacifier possibly have caused my need of braces?  It's been written that they can cause crooked teeth.  So, easy solution there: just take it away before her teeth come in.  Some articles say that using a pacifier can interfere with breastfeeding because of nipple confusion.  Since I'm still using a nipple shield and it is the same shape as the paci, I'm not having any trouble.  If I start to wean her off of the shield, then we may have latch issues.  Until then, I'm not convinced a pacifier is a negative thing.  It's not as if I shove it in her mouth every time she makes a noise, like some parents do.  I just give it to her at times like this, when she needs some comfort to go to sleep.  I think that's better than nursing her to sleep, which would be a terrible habit to break later on.  So that's that.  I am okay with the paci.

On a nursing note... 

I'm not one to plug a particular brand usually, but this information is vital!  For you nursing moms out there, forget using any other nursing pads other than Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads.  Awhile back, I purchased a large box of Lansinoh brand and Johnson & Johnson disposable nursing pads just to see which one I liked better.  Absolutely no comparison.  I started with Lansinoh and never had any problems with leaks.  I finished off the box, so I started using Johnson & Johnson.  I have woken up every morning covered in milk!  When comparing the 2 pads, J&J looks as if it would be much more absorbent because of it's thickness.  Not true- I go through them much more quickly.  From now on, I will be purchasing Lansinoh.  The only benefit of J&J is that the shape is great.  They come out of the box rounded and ready to use.  Lansinoh is folded in half in the packaging so unless you have on a padded bra, you can usually see the fold through your clothes.  Small concession for a great product.  

Success with the sleeping baby! She actually spit the paci out before she fell asleep, so I guess that small comfort from sucking was all she needed.  If there's one thing I've definitely learned, it's "sleep when baby sleeps!"  Good night=)