I tell the moms that I work with that pacifiers were invented for bottle
fed babies because the only time they get to suck is when they feed.

Sucking is important for babies. It helps them organize their behavior,
including heart rate and respiration.  Newborns cannot play with a toy or
watch TV or read a book, but, boy can they suck, and where is mom....

When a baby is bottle fed, the baby needs to keep eating if he wants to
suck.  Once he is full, he must stop sucking.  If the bottle is empty, it
is taken away.  He gets no recreational or comfort sucking.

After he is finished eating, a breastfed baby can change the pattern of
suck and get comfort at the breast with no or very little milk flow.

We all know that some babies have greater sucking needs than others.  I
think removing all pacifiers from the hospital is cruel for the bottle fed
babies who may really need extra sucking time.

Barb Berges, BS, RN, IBCLC
near Cleveland, Ohio

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