One of the major tenets of the initiative was the W.H.O.'s “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” — a series of strategies that included skin-to-skin care in the first hours of life, rooming-in (where mother and baby stay in the same room for the entire hospital stay), no pacifiers (to prevent nipple confusion) and no ...
Pacifiers. Artificial nipples such as pacifiers can interfere with breastfeeding, so we no longer use them in the hospital. Latching and sucking on a pacifier is different than sucking on a breast. We don't want to confuse baby in the first few days of learning to breastfeed.
The hospital will likely provide essential items for your baby, such as swaddling blankets, pacifiers, wipes, and diapers.
“Potential complications of pacifier use, particularly with prolonged use, include a negative effect on breastfeeding, dental malocclusion, and otitis media. Adverse dental effects can be evident after two years of age, but mainly after four years.”
They recommend using a pacifier to reduce Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) or Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID) after breastfeeding is going well. Baby-Friendly hospitals do not supply pacifiers for most babies, but also recognize that pacifiers may be needed in specific medical situations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice recommend reducing or stopping pacifiers early, since there is research that pacifier use beyond 12 months of age has the potential to increase the risk of ear infections in some children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend weaning children from pacifiers in the second six months of life to prevent otitis media. Pacifier use should not be actively discouraged and may be especially beneficial in the first six months of life.
There's no need to remove your baby's pacifier while they're sleeping. In fact, doing that might wake them up, and we all know the old rule about never waking a sleeping baby. If the pacifier comes out at night and your little one is sleep sleeping soundly, don't feel like you have to put it back in.
An infant's penchant for sucking is often satisfied at the breast or with a bottle. But, let's be honest, you can only feed baby so much before soreness and exhaustion kick in, or baby is full. Not surprisingly, between 60 and 85 percent of infants are using pacifiers, according to studies.
First is the developmental window of vulnerability. SIDS is most common at 2-4 months of age when the cardiorespiratory system of all infants is in rapid transition and therefore unstable.
Consider the drawbacks: Your baby might become dependent on the pacifier. If your baby uses a pacifier to sleep, you might face middle-of-the-night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth. Pacifier use might increase the risk of middle ear infections.
Experts also say hospitals are catching up to research that shows breast-feeding has major benefits for mothers and newborns. The American Academy of Pediatrics says infants who receive formula run a higher risk of getting childhood diseases, diabetes and childhood obesity.
Using a pacifier also can be helpful during your baby's common medical procedures. This includes vaccinations and blood tests. Sucking on a pacifier when sleeping may lower your baby's risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Doctors believe this may be because babies sleep lighter while sucking the pacifier.
Thumb-Sucking Pros and Cons
The main reason to prefer finger and thumb-sucking over a pacifier is that your infant doesn't need you to continuously put their thumb in their mouth whenever they need it. (This can have you getting up several times during the night if your baby cries each time the pacifier falls out.)
The most important risks of this non-nutritive sucking habit are failure of breastfeeding, dental deformities, recurrent acute otitis media, and the possibility of accidents. The development of latex allergy, tooth decay, oral ulcers and sleep disorders are other problems encountered with pacifier use.
Infants enjoy pacifiers because suckling offers soothing benefits. Adults may use them the same way, relieving stress or discomfort. Using a pacifier can also ease anxiety in those with an oral fixation.
As long as your baby is growing and gaining weight, you can be sure she is getting enough milk. If it is just a strong desire for non-nutritive sucking, you can put your baby to the breast as often as your baby wants to nurse. Comfort nursing will not harm your child.
This finding is consistent with the findings of a multicentre study [19] which reported a widespread difference between countries in the prevalence of pacifier use ranging from 12.5% in Japan to 71% in the Ukraine.
More recent research, however, points to that you can offer a pacifier to your baby much earlier. A systematic review found pacifier use, whether started from birth or after lactation, did not significantly affect the prevalence or duration of breastfeeding in healthy, term infants up to four months of age (3).
Pacifiers, also known as dummies or soothers, are often used to calm, pacify or soothe a fussy baby. Babies love to suck for comfort and security, as well as nutrition and a pacifier provides a bottle-fed baby with a substitute to frequent comfort sucking at the mother's breast.
Pacifiers have many benefits – including soothing babies, helping them fall asleep at night, and potentially reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Cons of pacifiers include establishing a habit that could be hard to break, as well as a possible increase in ear infections.
If used appropriately, pacifiers are not likely to impede speech and language development. However, if pacifiers are overused (e.g., child sucks on pacifier too much) or misused (e.g., not appropriately cleaned or sized), they can increase your child's risk of speech and language difficulties.
“Almost all babies will find some baby gas relief by sucking on a pacifier,” O'Connor says, because the sucking action releases endorphins that will soothe them. Infant massage. Simply rubbing your child's belly may be helpful, since massage can help calm the nerve signals in baby's immature intestines.