Do Pacifiers Interfere with Breastfeeding?

Newborn baby sucking on pacifier.

Yes, pacifiers do interfere with breastfeeding most of the time.

Many healthcare professionals tell new parents that pacifiers can cause nipple confusion because sucking on a pacifier strengthens different oral and facial muscles than breastfeeding does. If your baby spends more time sucking on a pacifier (or bottle) instead of breastfeeding, it may become easier and more preferable for your baby to use that form of sucking over the motions needed to breastfeed efficiently.

But did you know there is an even worse side effect of giving your baby a pacifier before you have fully established your milk supply?

Babies are born to suck. They have instinctive reflexes that make them need to suck frequently for a couple of weeks after birth. This sucking need of the baby corresponds directly to, and timely perfectly with, the maternal need for frequent nipple stimulation to increase prolactin and oxytocin levels and to avoid engorgement. Pacifier use before full milk supply is established interrupts this process and should be avoided, in most cases, until milk production is fully established- about 10-14 days after birth, and until your baby is breastfeeding well. And if babies are given a pacifier instead of being fed, this can lead to poor weight gain and associated complications.

There are some situations, however, when pacifiers are beneficial. This includes when babies are in the NICU, especially if they are not taking all of their feedings at the breast. Full-term babies in the NICU may need a pacifier between feedings or when not able to feed, to help keep them calm and to decrease energy expenditure related to crying. Preterm babies in the NICU especially benefit from the enhanced gastrointestinal motility associated with sucking, leading to a healthier gut and better stooling patterns.

So best to hold off on the pacifier for at least a couple of weeks.