New research questions the practice of restricting pacifiers for breastfeeding babies.

Many pediatricians discourage new mothers from offering pacifiers to newborns as they learn to breastfeed because of possible nipple confusion. However, a study of 2,000 babies born before and after pacifiers were restricted at an Oregon hospital found this may not be true after all.

The number of exclusively breastfed babies declined significantly, 11-percent, after pacifiers were banned, and the proportion of breastfed babies who got additional formula increased by 10-percent.