She is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as a retired La Leche League Leader. Though pacifiers are widely used to calm fussy babies and weary parents, their use can affect the initiation and the duration of the breastfeeding relationship. This resulted in a shorter duration of breastfeeding. They determined there was a threefold risk of early weaning from the breast in babies who used a pacifier. Sucking is very important for babies.
Pacifier use takes away from the time the infant spends at the breast.
Insufficient milk supply can interfere with the proper nutrition and growth of the baby. Pacifiers should not be used in the first four to six weeks of breastfeeding. Using a pacifier to take care of every difficulty, a parent may begin to lose touch with what their baby's real needs are. We need to look at each individual baby and determine his particular needs. There are times when pacifier use can be helpful to the baby, such as when mother and baby are separated.