Hello my name is Emily Just. I am a nursing student
at the University
of North Dakota. I thought the topic of
breastfeeding and the use of
pacifiers was interesting, so I did some research
and this is what I
found. Breastfeeding has so many positive benefits
that it is
important to provide education to all parents so
that they can make
an informed decision about whether or not
breastfeeding is right for
them. However, there is much debate and discussion
about the use of
pacifiers when breastfeeding. A study by Aarts,
Hornell, Kylberg,
Hofvander, and Gebre-Medhin (1999) indicated that
there was no
significant difference in breastfeeding duration
between breastfeeding
infants who never used a pacifier and those who only
used it for 2
months. There is, however, a correlation between
pacifier use
and long term duration, which is related to the
frequency of pacifier
use. In infants who never used a pacifier or those
who only used it for 2
months, the median breastfeeding duration was 10
months. However, in
frequent users of pacifiers, the median
breastfeeding duration was 7.5
months. Basically, pacifier use adversely affects
breastfeeding duration.
These authors also noted that if pacifiers were
offered instead of the
breast this could decrease stimulation of the breast
and gradually result in
decreased milk production. Another study performed
by Victoria, Behague,
Barros, Olinto, & Weiderpass (1997) done on pacifier
use talked a lot about
the maternal factors that influenced their use. Many
of the mothers that
used pacifiers viewed them as a positive
intervention specifically in the
use of crying, soothing, and weaning the infant.
Increasing the use of pacifiers for
any of these reasons can result in decreased
duration of breastfeeding. The
authors stated that no matter what the reason for
using a pacifier is, heavy
pacifier use identifies mothers and infants facing
breastfeeding difficulties
toward whom support should be given.

Another area that is affected by pacifier use is
that of ear infections. A study
by Niemela, Uhari, and Mottonen (1995) discussed the
fact that pacifier use
is a big risk factor for recurrent acute otitis
media. Niemela and colleagues
(1995) also stated that pacifiers should only be
used in the first 10 months of
life, when the need for sucking is the strongest and
AOM is uncommon. I know
this was discussed on Lactnet in 1995-1996 and I was
wondering if any of you
have worked closely with pacifier use since then?
What have you found out?
Does it really have an effect on breastfeeding?
Thank You.

Emily Just, SN University of North Dakota

Aarts, C., Hornell, A., Kylberg, E., Hofvander, Y.,
& Gebre-Medhin, M. (1999).
Breastfeeding patterns in relation to thumb sucking
and pacifier use.
Pediatrics, 104(4), e50. Retrieved from
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/104/4/e50.

Niemela, M., Uhari, M., & Mottonen, M. (1995). A
pacifier increases the risk of
recurrent acute otitis media in children in day care
centers. Pediatrics, 96(5), 884.

Victoria, C. G., Behague, D. P., Barros, F. C.,
Olinto, M. T. A., & Weiderpass, E. W.
(1997). Pacifier use and short breastfeeding
duration: cause, consequence, or
coincidence? Pediatrics,99(3), 445.

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