The phrase
"artificial nipples" refers to synthetic or man-made objects that resemble real nipples, often used to feed infants milk or formula from a bottle.
Full definition
- Avoid the use
of artificial nipples for newborns of moms who want to breast - feed, so they don't run into problems with nipple confusion.
If you want to breastfeed successfully, it is better to avoid the use of
artificial nipples before your milk supply is well established.
Though
artificial nipples do not always cause problems, their use when things are already going badly will rarely make things better, and usually make things worse.
It is important not to introduce
artificial nipples into the mix until mother and baby have learned to successfully breastfeed.
The differences between the tongue movements and resting position of the tongue in breastfed and bottle fed babies are probably due to the properties of the latex /
silicone artificial nipple.
Although many people do not believe that the early introduction of bottles may interfere with breastfeeding, the early introduction
of artificial nipples can indeed interfere.
It can also be used to
avoid artificial nipples, but its primary purpose is to help latch on a baby who refuses to latch on.
However, if the mother seems not to produce enough, she can still breastfeed, supplementing with a lactation aid (so that
artificial nipples do not interfere with breastfeeding).
Picard15 suggested that the undesirable effects of
artificial nipples on infants were permanent, and that correction in later life would be extremely difficult because muscle development would be affected.
Some babies have a difficult time going back and forth
from artificial nipple to real nipple and this can affect how they are latching on and removing the milk.
Avoiding
artificial nipples in the beginning and mastering the latch, will insure that you are able to breastfeed successfully.
Nipple confusion, also called nipple preference, occurs when breastfed babies are given
artificial nipples such as bottle nipples and pacifiers too soon after birth.
Lactation professionals recommend waiting until a baby is about 3 weeks old before
offering artificial nipples of any kind (including pacifiers).
Observer, if you read you will see that for mothers who are exclusively formula feeding for whatever reason, we will give them a few bottles and
artificial nipples at a time, to ensure that they don't have to go looking for a nurse at each mealtime.
Bottles and pacifiers, or any
other artificial nipple do not inherently cause damage to the baby's soft palette, jaw, or mouth; however, extended use as the baby grows into a preschooler could have negative ramifications if the child is already predisposed to orthodontic issues.
By the way, just because not all, or perhaps even not most, babies who
get artificial nipples have trouble with breastfeeding, it does not follow that the early use of these things can not cause problems for some babies.
Not only does the opioid reward of food intake and sucking help to bond infants to
artificial nipples instead of to their mothers» breasts, but the latching technique, sucking pattern and use of tongue and mouth muscles are very different between bottle nipples and real nipples.
This communication system can be derailed when a new baby is allowed to meet her sucking needs with
artificial nipples like pacifiers or when other feeding methods are introduced.
Exposure to
artificial nipples among breastfed infants remains commonplace in routine newborn care in hospitals throughout the United States.5,, 6,8 A number of observational studies and one randomized trial have evaluated the effect of pacifier use on breastfeeding.
Artificial nipples on bottles and
artificial nipples on pacifiers do not have the same effect on breastfeeding.
I was afraid of what friends would think if they saw bottle paraphernalia on my registry; that I might be setting myself up psychologically for failure, or giving my baby «nipple confusion» (an inability to go
from artificial nipple to actual nipple) as some of the breastfeeding books had suggested.
Nipple Confusion Nipple confusion happens when your baby is exposed to
artificial nipples such as a pacifier, bottle nipple or a nipple shield.
Experts recommend
avoiding artificial nipples / bottles and pacifiers for the first four weeks of your baby's life in order to establish your milk supply and nursing routine.
In my research, I found very little information on how to solve nipple confusion, only information about how to prevent it - warning after warning to avoid
introducing artificial nipples.
I probably express a concern about
using artificial nipples, because the lactation consultant said that we could use Nuk nipples which «are much less likely to cause nipple confusion.»
It can be easier if there has not been any nipple confusion caused by early introduction
of artificial nipples.
I agree that more alternatives ought to be offered, instead of automatically sticking
an artificial nipple in a (very young) baby's mouth.
No artificial nipples or bottles please.»
It's recommended that you wait at least 3 - 4 weeks before introducing your breastfed baby to a pacifier or any sort of
artificial nipple, and that includes baby bottles.
It is also important to avoid
any artificial nipples (bottles and pacifiers / dummies) for at least the first six weeks.
As the website for the La Leche League International (LLLI) described them, nipple shields are
artificial nipples that a mother can wear over her regular nipple when breastfeeding her baby.
An artificial nipple however is NOT pulled far back into the mouth and this can pool where baby's teeth are, causing decay.