The relationship between pacifier use, bottle feeding and breast feeding.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the influence of pacifier use and the introduction of formula milk on breast feeding.


METHODS
The mothers of 356 healthy newborn infants who initiated breast feeding while in-patients were interviewed within 3 days of birth and later at 2 and 6 months postpartum. Information regarding previous birth, breast-feeding frequency, pacifier use and the adoption of formula milk were obtained. The data were analyzed using chi2 and Kruskal-Wallis tests.


RESULTS
At the end of the second month, 264 (74%) of the mothers were still breast feeding; by the end of the sixth month this had fallen to 236 (66%). Among the 356 mothers, 152 had at least one previous infant, and 132 (86.8%) of them had breast fed a previous infant. Of the women who breast fed their previous infant for more than 2 months, 112 (84.8%) breast fed the current child until the end of the second month and 104 (78.7%) until the end of the sixth month after delivery. Of all investigated patients, 204 were primiparous (57.3%). Of these, 152 (74.5%) breast fed until the end of the second month, and 132 (64.7%) until the end of the sixth month after delivery. Amongthe 204 primiparae, 92 (45%) gave formula to their newborn infants. Forty-four of these 92 mothers (47.8%) had discontinued breast feeding by the end of the second month. Among the 356 newborn infants, 220 used pacifiers at the end of the second month. Within this group, 72 (33%) of the infants did not breast feed, while 148 (67%) did breast feed. Of all investigated mothers, 136 did not give pacifiers to their infants and only eight of these mothers (6%) had stopped breast feeding at the end of the second month.


CONCLUSIONS
We found an inverse correlation between pacifier usage and breast feeding. Breast feeding was most common among multiparous mothers.
Görbe
E
E
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest, Hungary.
Kõhalmi
B
B
Gaál
G
G
Szánthó
A
A
Rigó
J
J
Harmath
A
A
Csabay
L
L
Szabó
Gy
G
D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D041361:Pacifiers; D010298:Parity; D049590:Postpartum Period; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires