Are bottles or pacifiers okay?
If you’re committed to trying to exclusively breastfeed, you don’t want your baby to suck on a pacifier or a bottle. In the beginning, it’s important to allow your baby to practice breastfeeding without being confused by a bottle or a pacifier. Some experts feel that if you start giving bottles too early — before your baby is used to breastfeeding — your little one might have “nipple confusion” and may decide that the bottle is the quicker, better option than the breast. While some babies experience this confusion, others have no problem transitioning between a bottle and the breast. If a pacifier is occasionally needed in the nursery (such as during a circumcision, when baby boys are often given pacifiers with sugar water), it won’t disrupt your nursing. If the doctor tells you the baby needs a little supplementation with formula, it can be given with a bottle or through a nursing system in which the formula goes through a small tube that attaches to your nipple.
