Milk-derived microRNAs (miRNAs), including hsa-miR-148a-3p (miR-148a) and hsa-miR-125b-5p (miR-125b), have been shown to be beneficial to the gastrointestinal function in infants. Here, we investigated their e...
The effects of breastfeeding practices on children’s health are undoubtedly of great interest. However, inequalities in b...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Recent studies show corporate political activity (CPA) can have detrimental impacts on health policy processes. The Control of Marketing Promotion of Infant and Young Child Food Act B.E. 2560 (the Act) was imp...
You’re a lactation professional working with families to help solve breastfeeding/chestfeeding problems. Why should you care about something called the Codex Alimentarius Commission? Your focus may be to help families reach their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals. Think about some of the things that get in the way of that – poor information and advice from other health […]
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Only 61% of Malawian women exclusively breastfeed to the recommended 6 months. Paternal support is predictive of exclusive breastfeeding, and significantly related to paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, defined as fathers’ confidence in their ability to assist mothers with breastfeeding.Research Aims:To (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) in Malawian fathers, including internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and convergent validity; and (2) assess the relationship between the BSES-SF and paternal demographic and health factors.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted at a maternity hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, and 180 fathers whose partners had delivered a singleton infant were included. Participants completed the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and Quality of Life with confirmatory factor analysis performed to assess the construct validity. The internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intra-class correlations. Convergent validity was also assessed.Results:A unidimensional factorial structure of the Malawian Paternal BSES-SF was identified using confirmatory factor analysis. The scale had an excellent Cronbach’s alpha of .90 and a test-retest reliability of .93. Participants’ breastfeeding self-efficacy was significantly correlated with the Quality of Life domains of psychological health (r = .23; p < .01), social relationships (r = .28; p < .001), and environmental health (r = .30; p < .001). Participants who were older, married, and with ≥ two children had significantly higher breastfeeding self-efficacy and were more confident in their ability to support their partner’s breastfeeding.Conclusion:The Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form was a valid and reliable measure to assess fathers’ confidence in their ability to assist mothers with breastfeeding in Malawi.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Previous research examined effects of human milk on the infant gut microbiota, but little attention has been given to the microbiota of lactating women.Research Aim:To determine associations between exclusive human milk feeding and gut microbiota characteristics in mothers and infants at 6-weeks postpartum.Methods:A sample of mother–infant dyads (N = 24) provided fecal samples and questionnaire responses at 6-weeks postpartum as part of the Pregnancy, EAting & POstpartum Diapers study. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from stool samples, followed by (V4) 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplicon sequencing. Alpha and beta diversity, in addition to taxa differences, were compared by human milk exposure status, exclusive versus non-exclusive. A subset of dyads (those exclusively fed human milk; n = 14) was analyzed for shared bifidobacterial species using polymerase chain reaction.Results:Alpha diversity was significantly lower in exclusively human milk-fed infants. Maternal lactation status (exclusive vs. partial) and Shannon diversity were associated in univariate analysis but were no longer associated in multivariable regression including body mass index category in the model. Beta diversity (Sorensen dissimilarity) of fecal samples from women and infants was significantly associated with human milk feeding. Of six infants with Bifidobacterium longum subspecies longum in their fecal samples, all their mothers shared the same species.Conclusion:Maternal gut microbiotas differ by lactation status, a relationship potentially confounded by body mass index category. Further research is needed to identify whether lactation directly influences the maternal gut microbiota, which may be another mechanism by which lactation influences health.
A breastfeeding-friendly physician’s office that applies the 13 recommendations of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine can help increase the exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding. Having already publishe...
Domperidone is the most frequently prescribed medicine used to increase breast milk supply. There is considerable controversy surrounding the use of domperidone in lactation, due to limited evidence about effi...
Want an engaging way to update your clinical knowledge and skills? Looking to earn 36 CERPs in an interactive setting rather than passive screen time? Need to prepare for the IBLCE exam? Limited space is available in our upcoming book group. (Watch our short video below or click HERE for more details and to register.) Delve deeply with us into my 2020 comprehensive resource, Breastfeeding Answers, Second Edition.
What is a book group? It consists of like-minded people who read the same material then meet—often with a glass of wine!—for an informed discussion on its contents. The power of a book group lies in the insights and experiences shared by its members. It also offers welcome connection with colleagues.
Using the best learning technology plus live Zoom meetings, our book group will take place on 10 Sunday afternoons from March 13 through July 17, 2022 (skipping some Sundays). Once there, you can ask questions and share your perspectives. Live sessions are also recorded for later viewing.
For fun or to earn CERPs, join us while doing what you meant to do anyway: update yourself on the latest lactation research and techniques.
Structured, interactive discussions are led with warmth and wit. The latest in a series of book groups from Barbara Robertson, MA, IBCLC (a Clinical Lactation Contributing Editor and IBCLC in private practice), this absorbing and engaging learning experience springs from Barbara’s passion and training in adult education. Barbara and I hope to provide the inspiration we all need during these challenging times along with practical strategies for boosting your effectiveness with nursing families.
An opportunity to connect with wise colleagues worldwide. Previous book groups included both experienced and new breastfeeding supporters from around the world. I am thrilled for this chance to spend time with an international group of lactation enthusiasts. Join us for this priceless opportunity to explore the secrets of my 2020 book and tap into our collective wisdom.
Hope to see you there!
Breastfeeding practices and their impact on infant health and survival are unquestionably of global interest. The aim of this study was to examine the link between breastfeeding initiation within one hour of b...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
The RUBY randomised controlled trial demonstrated the benefit of proactive telephone peer support in promoting breastfeeding continuation in a setting with high breastfeeding initiation, where typically this i...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative represents a global effort to support breastfeeding. Commitment to this program has been associated with the longer duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and improvements in hospital practices. Further, healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitudes have been associated with the ability to provide professional support for breastfeeding.Research Aims:To determine healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitudes and hospital practices before and after the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.Methods:Using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study design, healthcare professionals (N = 131) from the single hospital labor and delivery, maternity care, and neonatal intensive care were recruited before and after the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative intervention during 2017 and 2019. Breastfeeding attitudes with the validated Breastfeeding Attitude Questionnaire, breastfeeding-related hospital practices, and background characteristics were collected.Results:The healthcare professionals’ breastfeeding attitude scores increased significantly after the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, difference = 0.16, (95% CI [0.13, 0.19]) and became breastfeeding favorable among all professional groups in each study unit. Positive changes in breastfeeding-supportive hospital practices were achieved. The infants had significantly more frequent immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with their mothers. The rate of early breastfeeding, as well as the number of exclusively breastfed infants, increased.Conclusions:After the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative for neonatal wards (Neo-BFHI) interventions were concluded, we found significant improvements in the breastfeeding attitudes of healthcare professionals and in breastfeeding-related care practices.This RCT was registered (0307-0041) with ClinicalTrials.gov on 03/03/2017.
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Background:Efforts to provide accessible and effective infant feeding support are advancing to set up new families to meeting their goals. However, data continue to be limited for understanding how inpatient postpartum support and experiences contribute to exclusive breastfeeding during hospitalization.Research Aims:To explore postnatal unit experiences including skin-to-skin contact, overnight support, rooming-in, responsive clinicians, and understandable communication that correlate with early infant feeding outcomes among a sample of mothers who intended to breastfeed.Methods:This was a prospective cross-sectional survey study. Through secure online survey, participants submitted (N = 2,401) responses from November 2016 to May 2017 about their experiences with maternity healthcare and offered thoughts on the postnatal unit environment. Descriptive statistics were used to examine distributions of maternal characteristics, postpartum experience, and birthing facility characteristics.Results:Exclusive breastfeeding was positively correlated with the following postnatal unit experiences: mother did not ask that her infant be taken out of the postnatal unit room; infant staying in postnatal unit room except for treatment(s); mother got help from clinical staff when needed after pressing the call button; and nurse, midwife, and/or doctor always explained information to mother in ways that they understood.Conclusion:Postnatal unit experiences associated with exclusive breastfeeding during postpartum hospitalization were rooming in; parents who did not ask for their infant to be taken out of the unit room; whether mothers received timely help from clinical staff; and information was explained in a way they could understand.
Most qualitative research on breastfeeding the preterm or low-birthweight (LBW) infant has focused on negative insights; there are no comprehensive insights into how, when and why mothers experience positive b...
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is extensively used in pre- and post-graduate teaching programmes. However, it has been seldom used for in-service training and continuing medical education. We aimed to develop a ...
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
Marina Ferreira Rea is a Brazilian medical doctor. She has a masters and a doctorate degree in public health from the University of São Paulo (USP). She specialized in breastfeeding at Wellstart International, and completed post-doctoral research at Columbia University, New York, USA, focusing on working women and breastfeeding. She was a researcher at the Health Institute at Columbia University in New York, the Center for Population and Family Health, and at the postgraduate studies, Nutrition in Public Health, University of São Paulo, where she advised many students and published many articles and books (a few selected below). She was a Coordinator of International Breastfeeding Actions at the World Health Organization (Geneva), in the early 1990s, when actions like the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, breastfeeding counseling, and other courses were started. During this same period, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and World Breastfeeding Week were initiated. In 1981 she participated in the launching of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Marina Rea is a member of the International Baby Food Action Network and its Latin American policy committee, and is the founder of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Brazil group. Since 2017, she has been a member of the IBFAN Global Council. She is now retired but continues to volunteer as an IBFAN member. She has two daughters and four grandchildren. A more detailed curriculum vitae in Portuguese can be found here: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8193850878281835 (MR = Marina Rea; MA = Maryse Arendt)
Journal of Human Lactation, Ahead of Print.
