OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with breastfeeding in the first hour of life (Step 4 of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative). METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of mothers who gave birth in maternity wards in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, between 1999 and 2001. Newborns or mothers with restriction to breastfeeding were excl...

Traditionally, infants abandoned at foundling hospitals were identified as "bastards" and "children of vice" whose health, to all intents and purposes, reflected the moral sins of their parents and thus, led to unavoidable mortality. By late 19th century, several changes challenged that consideration: a growing emphasis on the importance of fighting infant mortality, the appearance of a new, me...

BACKGROUND The main objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the attitudes of the mother and her family towards breastfeeding and the actual feeding pattern in a Bolivian population. A second objective was to study the relationship between breastfeeding information, specified according to source and timing, and feeding pattern. METHODS Cross-sectional intervi...

BACKGROUND The promotion and support of breastfeeding is a global priority. However, in reality most of the mothers are unable to practice exclusive breastfeeding. Most mothers discontinue breastfeeding because of lack of confidence in their ability to breastfeed, problem with infant suckling, breast pain, perception of insufficient milk, in addition to other unspecified difficulties. Some thes...

UNLABELLED The aim of the study was to estimate the need for information support concerned with care of a baby and evaluation of lying-in women expectations referred to sources of support, methods and devices used during presentation. The research included 200 lying-in women hospitalized in Clinic of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin; there were separated th...