Association of family and health care provider opinion on infant feeding with mother's breastfeeding decision.

In the United States, about 25% of women choose not to initiate breastfeeding, yet little is known about how opinions of individuals in a woman's support network influence her decision to breastfeed. In the 2005-2007 Infant Feeding Practices Study II, women completed questionnaires from the last trimester of pregnancy until 12 months postpartum. Mothers indicated prenatally their family members' and health care providers' opinion on how newborns should be fed: breastfed only, formula fed only, breast and formula fed, or no opinion/don't know. Breastfeeding initiation was determined by asking mothers around 4 weeks postpartum (n=2,041) whether they ever breastfed. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between mothers' perception of family members' and health care providers' opinion on how to feed the infant and the initiation of breastfeeding, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Nearly 14% of mothers surveyed did not initiate breastfeeding. Mothers who believed their family members or health care providers preferred breastfeeding only were least likely not to initiate breastfeeding. Never breastfeeding was significantly associated with the following perceptions: the infant's father (odds ratio [OR]=110.4; 95% CI 52.0 to 234.4) or maternal grandmother (OR=15.9; 95% CI 7.0 to 36.0) preferred only formula feeding; the infant's father (OR=3.2; 95% CI 1.7 to 5.9) or doctor (OR=2.7; 95% CI 1.2 to 6.2) preferred both breast and formula feeding; and the infant's father (OR=7.6; 95% CI 4.5 to 12.7), maternal grandmother (OR=5.4; 95% CI 2.6 to 11.0), or doctor (OR=1.9; 95% CI 1.0 to 3.7) had no opinion/didn't know their feeding preference. The prenatal opinions of family members and health care providers play an important role in a woman's breastfeeding decisions after the infant's birth.

Odom EC ，Li R ，Scanlon KS ，Perrine CG ，Grummer-Strawn L ... -  《Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics》

Breast-feeding among the urban poor in southern Brazil: reasons for termination in the first 6 months of life.

Martines JC ，Ashworth A ，Kirkwood B 《BULLETIN OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION》

Predictors of exclusive breastfeeding in early infancy: operational implications.

Sachdev HP ，Mehrotra S 《INDIAN PEDIATRICS》

Perceived Infant Feeding Preferences of Significant Family Members and Mothers' Intentions to Exclusively Breastfeed.

Breastfeeding intention is a significant predictor of initiation and duration. The decision to breastfeed may be influenced by the opinions of family and friends. This study aimed to examine the relationship between maternal perception of the infant feeding preferences of the baby's father and the maternal grandmother and the woman's intention to breastfeed. This study analyzed data from the Infant Feeding Practices Survey II (2005-2007). The sample included 4690 women, of whom approximately 82% were white, 67% were married, 68% were multiparous, and 66% had some college education or beyond. In adjusted analyses, the odds of intending to exclusively breastfeed in the first few weeks postpartum were higher among mothers who perceived that the baby's father or the maternal grandmother preferred exclusive breastfeeding (vs preferred other feeding) (fathers: odds ratio [OR] = 7.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.20-8.92; maternal grandmothers: OR = 2.45; 95% CI, 2.01-2.99). Mothers in each of the racial/ethnic groups examined were more likely to intend to exclusively breastfeed in the first few weeks postpartum if they perceived that the expectant father preferred exclusive breastfeeding (vs preferred other feeding methods) (white: OR = 7.67; 95% CI, 6.25-9.41; black: OR = 11.76; 95% CI, 4.85-28.51; Hispanic: OR = 7.01; 95% CI, 3.44-14.28; other: OR = 7.51; 95% CI, 3.39-16.67). These results suggest that significant family members should be counseled on the benefits of breastfeeding and the risks of formula feeding along with pregnant mothers.

Mueffelmann RE ，Racine EF ，Warren-Findlow J ，Coffman MJ ... -  《-》

Importance of Familial Opinions on Breastfeeding Practices: Differences Between Father, Mother, and Mother-in-Law.

Wallenborn JT ，Wheeler DC ，Lu J ，Perera RA ，Masho SW ... -  《-》