There's still confusion and little scientific evidence on whether or not bottle-feeding and pacifier use affects breast-feeding success and duration. The World Health Organization Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative discourages pacifier use and bottle-feeding. Despite this, pacifier use and bottle-feeding remain common in hospitals.
Doctors at the University of Rochester designed at dual-intervention, randomized study to evaluate the effects of pacifier use and in-hospital cup-feeding and bottle-feeding on the breast-feeding. Seven hundred healthy breast-fed babies with normal birth weights were divided into four groups: bottle and early pacifier use; bottle and late pacifier use; cup and early pacifier use; and cup and late pacifier use. They included cup-feeding since some lactation specialists believe supplemental feedings with a cup has less effect on breast-feeding than bottle use.
Supplemental feeding lessened the chances a baby was being breast-fed at age four weeks. Bottle or cup use made no difference in this effect. The same was found with pacifier use Ð the earlier the pacifier was introduced, the shorter the length of breast-feeding.
There's no substitute for breast-feeding. Using any other means of feeding or a pacifier has a detrimental effect on how long mothers continue to breast-feed their babies.
Pediatrics, 3/03, pp. 511-18.
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