Moms who use pacifiers breastfeed less
 In the first U.S. study of its kind, researchers
have found that
pacifier use is associated with significant declines in the duration
of breastfeeding.
The study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, was
conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester School of
Medicine and Dentistry, the Rochester General Hospital in Rochester,
New York and the Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
The study followed 265 sets of breastfeeding mothers and their
children until breastfeeding ended. While results showed that pacifier
use had no effect on breastfeeding success in the first three months,
it also showed decreased long-term breastfeeding due to pacifier use.
The research data does not support a common belief that pacifier use
leads to "nipple confusion," which causes the infant to
learn improper breastfeeding suckling techniques. Instead, the
researchers found that the reason for shorter and less breastfeeding
is likely linked to mothers who chose to use pacifiers.
Those mothers tended to breastfeed their infants less frequently, and
were more likely to consider breastfeeding to be inconvenient and to
complain of inadequate milk supplies. Because of this link, the
researchers speculated that pacifier use ultimately leads to shortened
breastfeeding duration.
The researchers recommend that mothers receive more education about
the importance of breastfeeding in maintaining milk supplies and about
the many health benefits of breastfeeding.
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