from Oregon Health Sciences University
It is commonly believed that use of pacifiers for newborns can interfere with breastfeeding. However, new research at Oregon Health Sciences University challenges that belief. The study, presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, found that limiting the use of pacifiers actually decreased exclusive breastfeeding and increased the time that formula was used to supplement. Both the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund recommend not providing pacifiers to breastfeeding babies. But co-author Dr. Laura Kair says the goal in publicizing results of this study is to stimulate conversation about whether there is sufficient evidence to continue recommending not using pacifiers to breastfeeding babies in the first few weeks of life.