Irrespective of the place and mode of delivery, ‘delayed’ initiation of breastfeeding beyond the first hour of birth can negatively influence maternal and newborn health outcomes. In Bangladesh, 49% of newborns initiate breastfeeding after the first hour. The rate is higher among deliveries at a health facility (62%). This study investigates the maternal, health service, infant, and household characteristics

Despite established benefits, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rate remains poor in India. This study measured the rate of early initiation of breastfeeding and EBF up to 42 days postpartum period and the reasons associated with early interruption of it. In this study we followed a cohort 319 mother-newborn dyads, on a scheduled day of each week for six postpartum weeks (42 postpartum days), during May

Despite the increasing rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Indonesia, there is still a need for supportive interventions. The breastfeeding self-efficacy of mothers is a key factor positively associated with optimum breastfeeding practices. Our analysis aims to assess the determinants of low breastfeeding self-efficacy amongst a sample of women with children aged under 6 months in Malang and Sidoarjo

Substantial evidence exists surrounding the health risks of breast milk substitutes (BMS) in place of exclusive breastfeeding among infants < 6 months of age in resource-poor settings. Yet, mothers’ experiences of selecting and purchasing BMS brands have not been well studied to date. This qualitative study explored the factors influencing BMS purchasing practices, along with the consequences of those

The exclusive breastfeeding rate in Ireland is very low with extremely slow annual growth. The population of immigrants in Ireland is increasing. Improving exclusive breastfeeding practice among immigrants may contribute to the overall improvement of exclusive breastfeeding rates in Ireland. This study was conducted to elicit suggestions on improving exclusive breastfeeding rate for the first 6 months

Breastfeeding duration has declined in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in recent decades, although accurate national data about different breastfeeding indicators by infant age are lacking. This qualitative study, the first in KSA, aimed to understand the factors affecting mothers’ decisions and experiences regarding any breastfeeding practices. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to

Emotional distress in mothers inhibits the let-down reflex, thus affecting breastfeeding self-efficacy. A breastfeeding mother may have to cope with both physical discomfort and psychological distress. However, literature on initiatives to improve breastfeeding rates has focused mainly on providing community-based peer support, or social policies. The aim of this review is to assess evidence on the

Infant sleep is of great interest to new parents. There is ongoing debate about whether infants fed with breastmilk substitutes sleep longer than those exclusively or partially breastfed, but what does this mean for the mother? What expectations are realistic for mothers desiring to exclusively breastfeed as recommended by health authorities? There are both biological and social influences on infant

Maternal employment has been described as a barrier to breastfeeding in many countries. In Japan, many mothers quit breastfeeding after returning to work because they do not know how to continue breastfeeding. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a breastfeeding support program for mothers. The secondary objective was to explore the effectiveness of a pamphlet

The influences of breastfeeding and infant diet in the prevention of allergy-related diseases are uncertain and many of the studies conducted on the topic are limited by methodological challenges. Our aim was to assess whether the duration of breastfeeding and age at complementary food introduction affected the prevalence of asthma, wheeze, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) and eczema at two and six

Ethnic Chinese mothers in Malaysia adhere to 30 days of traditional postpartum practices (the “confinement period”) aimed at recuperation after delivery. Recently there has been an emergence of confinement centres (CCs) where mothers stay and receive traditional confinement care. Ethnic Chinese mothers have low breastfeeding rates. There are concerns that practices in CCs could contribute to this but

Breastfeeding is considered the biological norm and essential to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. Mothers are responsible for breastfeeding but the support of others, including their partners is an influential determinant. The aim of this study was to compare antenatal breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and perceived breastfeeding support of expectant couples in Mekelle, Ethiopia. As part of

Determinants at several levels may affect breastfeeding practices. Besides the known historical, socio-economic, cultural, and individual factors, other components also pose major challenges to breastfeeding. Predicting existing patterns and identifying modifiable components are important for achieving optimal results as early as possible, especially in the most vulnerable population. The goal of this

This study aims to systematically review the effects of maternal vitamin and/or mineral supplementation on the content of breast milk. We systematically searched electronic databases including Medline via PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Science till May 24, 2018. The following terms were used systematically in all mentioned databases: (“human milk” OR “breast milk” OR “breast milk composition” OR “human

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the operation of donor human milk banks in various countries such as China, Italy and India. It is understandable that this impact on operations of donor human milk might hamper the capability of these milk banks to provide sufficient pasteurized donor milk to neonates who need it. Contrary to developed world, predominant donors in developing nations

Breastfeeding is a complex behaviour relying on a combination of individual mother and infant characteristics, health systems, and family, community and professional support. Optimal breastfeeding in high-income countries is particularly low. Despite having similar sociocultural backgrounds, breastfeeding rates between Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia vary, thus there is a need to understand

Exclusive breastfeeding rates in many high-income countries are considerably lower than the World Health Organization recommendations. Younger mothers are less likely than older mothers to exclusively breastfeed or to exclusively breastfeed for a long duration. This systematic review explores interventions to increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among young mothers in high-income countries

In Australia, during the early establishment phase of breastfeeding, women can access telephone peer support counselling provided by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) however options for face-to-face peer support are limited. The known factors which improve ongoing and exclusive breastfeeding include face-to-face support, peer and/or professional support, and trained personnel. This study

Return to employment is a major barrier to breastfeeding continuation, globally and in the Southern African context. The Lancet Breastfeeding Series revealed an explicit need for research exploring breastfeeding as a workplace issue in low- and middle-income countries. A dearth of research on workplace breastfeeding in South Africa calls for attention to this topic. This study sought to explore breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is critical to promote maternal and child health. China has set national targets to further improve the exclusive breastfeeding rate. We aimed to examine associations between the provision of early essential newborn care (EENC) and breastfeeding outcomes among full term vaginally delivered neonates in the first 6 months of life. We conducted a quasi-experimental study in eight maternal

Ensuring women receive optimal breastfeeding support is of key importance to the health of mothers and their infants. Early discharge within 24 h of birth is increasingly common across Australia, and the practice of postnatal home visiting varies between settings. The reduction in length of stay without expansion of home visits reduces midwives’ ability to support breastfeeding. The impact of early

Parents’ decisions about how to feed their newborns are influenced by multiple factors. Our objective was to identify the factors that can influence the decision to breastfeed. Cross-sectional observational online study was conducted in Spain on women who gave birth between 2013 and 2018. The total number of participants was 5671. Data collection was after approval by the ethics committee in 2019.

Inadequate breastmilk production is one of the key factors associated with suboptimal breastfeeding. In most local African homes, special herbs and some food items are commonly used to promote breastmilk production (known as lactogogue/galactogogue). We describe the use and characterize the herbs and food items used to promote breastmilk production in two regions of Ghana. We conducted a cross-sectional

The 2013 updated guidelines on management of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children recommends the support of exclusive breastfeeding. These guidelines are inconsistently applied in low and middle income countries (LMICs) due to barriers including unclear implementation guides, technical support and epidemiological factors. Peer support strategies have been used to offer psychological support

The baby and mother friendly initiative is a breastfeeding programme in Namibia aimed to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to describe nurse managers’ perceptions and experiences of implementing the baby and mother friendly initiative in order to identify its successes and failures, as well as to develop guidelines for the strengthening of the programme. An evaluation

In Bangladesh 65% of children under 6 months of age were exclusively breastfed with maternal employment being a risk factor that has jeopardized exclusive breastfeeding. As Ready Made Garment (RMG) factories have been the largest employer of low income women in Bangladesh, the objective of our study was to explore the barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding and perceptions about use of expressed

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is generally considered an effective way to promote breastfeeding. Although China has the largest number of baby-friendly hospitals in the world, research on baby-friendly practices in China is limited, and the rate of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) at 6 months, 20.7%, compared to the 2025 global goal of 50% is low. It is, therefore, important to determine the factors

Timely initiation of breastfeeding is putting the newborn to the breast within 1 h of birth. Its practice can prevent neonatal and under-5 mortality. This study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding among mothers in Ghana. We used data from the 2017–2018 Ghana multiple indicator cluster survey and our analysis was restricted to 15,305 mothers who

An extended duration of breastfeeding of up to two years is encouraged by many health authorities, but information regarding the composition of milk after one year postpartum is limited. The goal of this study was to determine the association between the duration of lactation and macronutrient contents, immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in human milk (HM), from 1 to

Donor human milk (DHM) is an alternative to preterm infant formula if the mother’s own milk is not available. Since the lactation period and preservation treatment of DHM are different from those of mother’s own milk, we aimed to determine the reduction in the length of hospital stay by DHM compared to preterm infant formula. In this systematic review, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane

Angola has one of the highest annual under-five mortality rates in in the world and malnutrition poses a severe problem in the country. This study is the first to focus on the traditional knowledge of plants, foods, and treatments used by the local population in the province of Uíge to affect the quality and quantity of human breast milk, since decades of independence and civil war impeded ethnobotanical

Evidence suggests that inadequate hospital practices, as well as sociocultural and community factors have detrimental effects on timely initiation as the first breastfeed within first hour after birth, and exclusive breastfeeding. The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that influence timely initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding at birth and 1 month postpartum in Mexican

In China, less than one third of infants under 6 months of age are being exclusively breastfed. Maternal rural-to-urban migration contributes to these low rates of breastfeeding practices. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of breastfeeding practices and associated factors among rural-to-urban migrant children and local children with infants aged 0–12 months in China, 2018

Antenatal breastfeeding education (ANBE) is provided to all pregnant women attending Ministry of Health (MOH) clinics and some private health facilities in Malaysia, in line with the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). However, the 6 month exclusive breastfeeding prevalence remains relatively low in Malaysia, suggesting that there may be a gap between what is currently taught and what

One of the most important factors that affects breastfeeding self-efficacy and exclusivity is breastfeeding support provided by the family. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breastfeeding education sessions for primiparous women, with and without the attendance of maternal grandmothers, on breastfeeding self-efficacy and infant feeding patterns. This quasi-experimental study was

Despite evidences of breastfeeding for preventing acute physical illnesses in infants, the evidence for the association between breastfeeding and long-term cognitive development is not yet convincing. The data of nationwide representative sample of 1752 children born between 2008 and 2009 in Korea were prospectively assessed from the fetal period to examine the benefits of breastfeeding and cognitive

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting normal life globally, every area of life is touched. The pandemic demands quick action and as new information emerges, reliable synthesises and guidelines for care are urgently needed. Breastfeeding protects mother and child; its health benefits are undisputed and based on evidence. To plan and support breastfeeding within the current pandemic, two areas need to

Global guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life. South African EBF rates have steadily increased but still only average 32% for infants below 6 months of age. Malnutrition and developmental delays continue to contribute substantially to the morbidity and mortality of South African children. MomConnect, a national mHealth messaging system used to send infant

Early initiation of breastfeeding offers nutritional and immunological benefits to the newborn, which is critical for health and survival. Understanding factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding is crucial for healthcare providers and policy-makers. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers with children < 24 months

Factors associated with duration of breastfeeding have been usually studied at specific times after birth. Little is known about how much time is added to breastfeeding by each associated factor. A cohort of 969 mother-child dyads was followed-up for twelve months at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Spain, in 2018. Data on mother characteristics, pregnancy, delivery and children characteristics

Breastfeeding an infant exposed to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) carries the risk of HIV acquisition whilst not breastfeeding poses a higher risk of death from malnutrition, diarrhea, and pneumonia. In Uganda, mothers living with HIV are encouraged to discontinue breastfeeding at 12 months but data are limited. We examined the frequency and factors associated with cessation of breastfeeding at

We investigate whether correct infant feeding knowledge and practice differ by maternal HIV status in an era of evolving clinical guidelines in rural South Africa. This cohort study was nested within the MONARCH stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial ( www.clinicaltrials.gov : NCT02626351 ) which tested the impact of continuous quality improvement on antenatal care quality at seven primary

Despite national efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), South Africa’s EBF rate is only 32 %. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of EBF discontinuation and the lived experiences of breastfeeding mothers at postnatal time points 3–14 days, 4–8 weeks, 10–14 weeks and 20–24 weeks. This community-based mixed-methods study collected data within a prospective cohort study on sociodemographics

Best practices in breastfeeding are often not followed despite appropriate levels of knowledge and positive attitudes regarding the benefits of human milk. For many reasons, some women do not initiate breastfeeding, suspend breastfeeding early, or initiate complementary feeding earlier than recommended. Usual measurement methods use large sample surveys at a national scale, which are not well suited

Suboptimal breastfeeding practices are driven by multiple factors. Thus, a multi-sectoral approach is necessary to design and implement appropriate policies and programs that protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. This study used Net-Map, an interactive social network interviewing and mapping technique, to: a) identify key institutional actors involved in breastfeeding policy/programs in Ghana

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has multiple benefits for both the child and the mother; however, there is little data regarding the reason why Mexican mothers with a high socio-economic level abandon EBF before 6 months, and there is limited information about the practice of breastfeeding in private hospitals. The objective was to identify the factors associated with the cessation of exclusive breastfeeding

Breastfeeding success has been measured based on its duration, disregarding satisfaction with the maternal experience. Studies to investigate maternal satisfaction with breastfeeding are rare, especially in Brazil, and little is known about their determinants. The aim of this study was to measure the level of satisfaction with breastfeeding in a group of women in the first month of their child’s life

The health and developmental advantages of human milk and breastfeeding are particularly important for infants with Down syndrome. However, they typically have shorter breastfeeding duration due to sucking issues that are not well understood. This case report describes serial measures of milk transfer volumes, sucking dynamics and tongue movement in a breastfeeding infant with Down syndrome. Management

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for the first six months of age by the World Health Organization. Mothers’ good knowledge and positive attitude play key roles in the process of exclusive breastfeeding practices. In this study, we report on a systematic review of the literature that aimed to examine the status of mothers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices related to exclusive breastfeeding

The first reports of the Chinese experience in the management of newborns of mothers with SARS-CoV 2 infection did not recommend mother-baby contact or breastfeeding. At present, the most important International Societies, such as WHO and UNICEF, promote breastfeeding and mother-baby contact as long as adequate measures to control COVID-19 infection are followed. In cases where maternal general health

In China, mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 pneumonia are recommended to stop breastfeeding. However, the evidence to support this guidance is lacking. There have been relatively few cases reported about direct breastfeeding an infant by a mother with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the safety of breastfeeding and the possible protective effects of breast milk

In an effort to prevent infants being infected with SARS-CoV-2, some governments, professional organisations, and health facilities are instituting policies that isolate newborns from their mothers and otherwise prevent or impede breastfeeding. Such policies are risky as was shown in the early response to the HIV pandemic where efforts to prevent mother to child transmission by replacing breastfeeding

Human breast milk is one of the key early postnatal biological exposures for the developing child. It includes bioactive compounds, such as cortisol and fatty acids, which may be linked via the mother’s lipid metabolism. This study investigated the associations between cortisol and lipids in human milk at the infant age of 2.5 months. Human milk cortisol concentrations were measured using luminescence

Perceived milk supply is an important modifiable factor for optimal breastfeeding. However, little is known about maternal perception of milk supply or how it impacts breastfeeding practices. The aim of this study was to examine relationships of perceived milk supply, maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, and skin-to-skin contact with early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of infants

China has an extremely low exclusive breastfeeding rate. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been shown to increase the exclusive breastfeeding rate among infants born extremely or very preterm. However, there is limited evidence surrounding intermittent KMC and exclusive breastfeeding in late preterm infants. In our study we investigated the association between the provision of intermittent KMC and breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is emerging as an important reproductive rights issue in the care of trans and gender nonconforming people. This study sought to understand the tools available to professionals working in the field of trans health to help trans women induce lactation and explore the concept of unmet need. In November 2018, we conducted a cross-sectional study which surveyed attendees at the World Professional

Although the baby-friendly community initiative (BFCI) has been proposed as a community-level approach to improve infant feeding practices, there is little data on its variation in effectiveness by HIV status. We conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of BFCI in changing knowledge and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and increasing the rates among HIV negative and HIV positive

While exclusive breastfeeding is recommended to 6 months of age, just 15% of mothers in Australia achieve this. The rate appears to be even lower among mothers born in China, where 90% have introduced infant formula by this time. This study aimed to examine infant feeding patterns in the first 12 months of life and the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at 4 months of age and infant formula

In Jordan, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is declining. The trend variation in breastfeeding practice is determined by different factors including antenatal women’s attitude and planning which are affected by their awareness and the support they receive. This study aims to assess knowledge, attitude, support, and planning of breastfeeding among Jordanian women. A face-to-f