[ effect of pacifier use on breast-feeding duration]

ABSTRACT

Use of pacifiers by young infants has been recognized as one of the factors that interfere with the establishment of successful breast-feeding. Our aim was to find out if pacifier-use results in early termination of breast-feeding. A historical cohort study was done on mother-infant pairs visiting health centers for check-ups, routine vaccinations or common childhood ailments during the year 1385-1386. All subjects satisfying the enrollment criteria, and available to the study team, were interviewed by trained personnel and relevant information documented on predesigned questionnaires. Duration of breast-feeding was compared between pacifier-users and non-users. Four-hundred and fifty infants were enrolled; after exclusion of babies with confounding factors, data of 307 infants was analyzed. Two-hundred thirty-nine mothers had continued predominant breast-feeding for 3 months and 218 mothers had done so for at least 6 months. Breast-feeding was discontinued in 59 infants before 6 months. 24.75% of infants were regular pacifier users, 80% of these had started pacifiers during the first few days of life. The rate of termination of breast-feeding at 3 months in pacifier-users was 28.9% as compared to 5.7% in non-users, [P=0.000]. At 6 months the rates in pacifier-uses and non-users were 46.1% vs. 10.4%, respectively, [P=0.000]. Our findings show that while over-all breast-feeding rates in 6 month-old infants are high at 71%, pacifier use in infants is associated with early termination of breast-feeding