Breastfeeding patterns in relation to thumb sucking and pacifier use

Objectives. To analyze the influence of thumb sucking and pacifier use on b reastfeeding patterns in exclusively breastfed infants, on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and on the total breastfeeding duration. Study Design. Descriptive, longitudinal, prospective study. Setting. The subjects were recruited from a population of 15 189 infants bo rn in the maternity ward at the University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden betwee n May 1989 and December 1992. Study Population. 506 mother-infant pairs. Methods. Daily recordings by the mothers on infant feeding from the first w eek after delivery through the duration of the study. Fortnightly home visi ts with structured interviews by a research assistant. Results. Pacifier use was associated with fewer feeds and shorter suckling duration per 24 hours, shorter duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and sho rter total breastfeeding duration compared with no pacifier use. These asso ciations were not found for thumb sucking. The possible negative effects of pacifiers on breastfeeding seemed to be related to the frequency of their use. Maternal age and education only slightly modified the association betw een pacifier use and breastfeeding duration. Conclusions. More frequent use of a pacifier was associated with shorter br eastfeeding duration, even among a group of mothers who were highly motivat ed to breastfeed.