CONTEXT Infant feeding practices are influenced by maternal factors. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review is to examine the associations between maternal weight status or dietary characteristics and breastfeeding or complementary feeding. DATA SOURCES A systematic literature search of the Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases was performed. ST...

OBJECTIVE To investigate mother's perception and practices about breastfeeding and their socio-demographic correlate in infants equal to or less than 6 months. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 mother-infant pairs who visited the health care centers, Bilal Colony (semi-urban) and the Aga Khan University (urban), for their well baby follow-ups and vaccination using conveni...

Maternal feeding attitudes, maternal moods and infant feeding practices during the first 6 months postpartum were assessed in 226 healthy, well-nourished Barbadian mother-infant dyads. Factor analysis of the feeding attitudes questionnaire resulted in six independent factors. The belief that breastfeeding was better than bottle-feeding was associated with higher family income, more information ...

BACKGROUND Fruit and vegetable intake in children remains below recommendations in many countries. The long-term effects of early parental feeding practices on fruit and vegetable intake are not clearly established. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to examine whether early feeding practices influence later fruit and vegetable intake in preschool children. DESIGN The study used...

OBJECTIVE To examine trends in the prevalence of hospitals and birth centers (hereafter, hospitals) distributing infant formula discharge packs to breastfeeding mothers in the United States from 2007 to 2013. METHODS The Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care survey is administered every 2 years to all hospitals with registered maternity beds in the United States. A Web- or paper-ba...

OBJECTIVE To meet the information need of Brazilian municipalities concerning breastfeeding practices as part of health care planning, a study was carried out to describe breastfeeding and to identify weaning-related factors. METHODS Of all municipalities in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, openly called to participate in the study, 84 joined in. Personnel underwent training to collect data du...

BACKGROUND Initiation of breastfeeding shortly after delivery may enhance breastfeeding's protective effect against diarrhea because of the protective properties of human colostrum contained in early breast milk. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether initiation of breastfeeding within the first 3 days of life, when breast milk contains colostrum, was associated with a lower rate of diarrhea in rural ...

Breastfeeding is the ultimate goal for the preterm infant and mother pair. Preterm delivery, however, creates a unique set of challenges, making it difficult to breastfeed initially. The preterm infants’ progression to breastfeeding is often complicated by neurological and gastro-immaturity and underlying medical co-morbidities. Mothers can also experience multi-faceted issues initiating, build...

Considerable evidence suggests that infant feeding practices are associated with variations in health. This paper reviews research relating to the health of infants who receive breast milk, and of women who breastfeed, in the developed world. Obstacles to breastfeeding are examined, and current initiatives to increase breastfeeding levels are discussed.

Objectives. This study was conducted to determine whether maternal quality of life (QOL) and breastfeeding difficulties influence the continuation of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Methods. In a survey, 358 consecutive pregnant women filled out a quality of life questionnaire in the third trimester of pregnancy and the breastfeeding experience scale at 4 weeks postpartum. We assessed breastfeed...