Infant feeding represents a great challenge in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (pMTCT). The international guidelines informing infant feeding counselling suggest feeding methods that reduce the risk of HIV transmission, and discourage mixed feeding (combining breastfeeding with other fluids and solids). The feasibility and the social acceptability of the recommended feedin...

BACKGROUND Exclusive breastfeeding in infants aged under six months is a simple and cost-effective feeding method that ensures better infant and child survival and boosts the achievement of child related Millennium Development Goals in the developing world. Identifying factors associated with good breastfeeding practice helps to increase its coverage and maximize its advantages through improved...

Breastfeeding has known positive health benefits for babies and mothers, yet the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding initiation rates in Europe. Despite national guidance that recommends provision of breastfeeding peer support, there is conflicting evidence regarding its effectiveness, especially in high-income countries, and a lack of evidence among young mothers. This study evaluates the e...

BACKGROUND Exclusive breastfeeding for infants is recommended for the first six months for optimal health, development and growth. However, there is limited data on infant feeding practices and nutrition status of infants in Nairobi. OBJECTIVE To assess infant growth and nutritional status and compare with feeding practices in the first six months of life in selected hospitals, Nairobi Provin...

H ealthy People 2000 goals state that 75 percent of women in this country will initiate breastfeeding and 50 percent will continue to breastfeed at 5–6 months. Currently, about 59 percent of women initiate breastfeeding and as few as 20 percent are still breastfeeding at 6 months. Proper sucking technique is believed to be critical to establishing breastfeeding and preventing early breastfeedin...

BACKGROUND Peer counselling is reported to increase breastfeeding rates. We evaluated an intervention consisting of mainly telephone contact peer counselling programme on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. METHODS Peer counsellors (PCs) were mothers who had successfully breastfed and had received formal training. Following a postnatal visit, they provided scheduled telephone consultation...

OBJECTIVE To examine the gap between the current social/medical practice and the evidence-based recommendation in favor of breastfeeding during maternal propylthiouracil (PTU) therapy. DESIGN Prospective, observational, cohort study. SUBJECTS Women requiring PTU during pregnancy, and endocrinologists and family physicians in Ontario, Canada. INTERVENTIONS Questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEA...

Although breast-feeding is nature's way of providing nutrition to the baby, in HIV positive mothers this has been identified as one of the means through which HIV infection is transmitted from the mother to the child. In Africa where children under the age of 5 are killed by preventable diseases like diarrhoea, the issue of HIV transmission through breast feeding poses an added huge problem. Re...

This was a nurse-driven, hospital-based, prospective cohort study of data collected in 19 hospitals in San Bernardino and Riverside counties by California Perinatal Services Network on all mothers (n = 21 842) who delivered a singleton infant (37-40 weeks gestation) between July 2005 through June 2006. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression showed that maternal infant-feeding method intention...

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding as the normal infant feeding method and that infants being breastfed should be regarded as the control group or norm reference in all instances. There are many factors which could contribute to a new mother ceasing breastfeeding early, with the most commonly reported reason being perceived insufficient breast milk supply. The use of herbal ...