Pacifiers are substitutes for the human breast. That may seem obvious, but with as often as you hear people say “she’s using me as a human pacifier,” maybe it’s not. A bottle-fed baby uses the bottle for food and the pacifier for comfort sucking. The breastfed baby can use the breast for both, and that is what is biologically intended. When a breastfeeding mother gives her baby a pacifier for comfort sucking, she may end up with lower milk supply due to decreased sucking cues. The comfort sucking helps your milk supply, so it is a good thing to do, particularly in the beginning when your body is adjusting. Pacifier use can also lead to a poor latch, which is another risk factor for poor supply. And studies show that breastfed babies who were given pacifiers in the first 6 weeks wean earlier than those who did not use a pacifier.

Munchkin never took a pacifier. We did half-heartedly offer it a few times, but she never wanted anything but me (she never took a bottle either). Sweets has always been more laid back in that way, and she did take the pacifier (and the bottle). I was concerned that overuse of the pacifier could lead to Sweets being held less and having less time in arms because it could be so convenient to just put her down with a pacifier. My pacifier “rules” were that the paci could be used in situations where I wasn’t available, such as at daycare or in the car. There were also times when Sweets wanted to suck but didn’t want the milk that was coming, which happened occasionally. I’ll admit that I didn’t always follow my own rules, and I did start falling into using the paci as a convenience for me when I was doing something else. I tried to remain aware of it though and not do it too often. Sweets used the paci from about 2-6 months, and then lost interest in it, even at daycare, so we are paci-free now.

I really find it very annoying when people say “human pacifier” though – as if we are the substitute for the nuk as opposed to the other way around! I think it really just shows the bias in American culture. I can see it now: breastfeeding mother complains that baby is using her as a human bottle!