Research Progress in Breastfeeding

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 12691

Special Issue Editor

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Interests: nutrition; pregnant women; breastfeeding women; children
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to WHO, “breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival”. It provides health benefits for both mothers and children. Breastfeeding mothers experience long-term benefits, like a lower risk of obesity; diabetes mellitus; hypertension; and breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Benefits for infants are optimal nutrition, strong bonding with the mother, and the lowering of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, as well as protection against chronic diseases later in life. Maternal nutrition and health status even before pregnancy influences human milk composition and therefore metabolic programming of breast-fed children.

There are, however, questions about the impact of specific components in human milk like human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), choline, and many more on health outcomes later in life. Moreover, the effects of nutrition interventions to strengthen the health literacy of women of childbearing age and the impact of measures to support breastfeeding and to increase its rate, exclusivity, and duration are important fields of research.

Breastfeeding promotion is important to support health from the early beginning. Therefore, the goal of this Special Issue in Breastfeeding is to highlight short- and long-term benefits for mothers and infants. We welcome reviews and original research considering novel approaches, as well as identifying gaps in knowledge.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Petra Rust
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Breast feeding
  • Nutritional status
  • Health literacy
  • NCDs
  • Human milk
  • Breastmilk composition
  • Metabolic programming

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 769 KiB  
Article
Modesty and Security: Attributes Associated with Comfort and Willingness to Engage in Telelactation
by Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, Ellen J. Schafer, Taylor A. Livingston, Rachel G. Logan and Stephanie L. Marhefka
Children 2021, 8(4), 271; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children8040271 - 01 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1966
Abstract
The objectives were to identify conditions under which mothers may be willing to use telelactation and explore associations between participant characteristics, willingness, and beliefs regarding telelactation use. Mothers 2–8 weeks postpartum were recruited from two Florida maternal care sites and surveyed to assess [...] Read more.
The objectives were to identify conditions under which mothers may be willing to use telelactation and explore associations between participant characteristics, willingness, and beliefs regarding telelactation use. Mothers 2–8 weeks postpartum were recruited from two Florida maternal care sites and surveyed to assess demographics, breastfeeding initiation, and potential telelactation use. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Of the 88 participants, most were white, married, earned less than USD 50,000 per year, had access to technology, and were willing to use telelactation if it was free (80.7%) or over a secure server (63.6%). Fifty-six percent were willing to use telelactation if it involved feeding the baby without a cover, but only 45.5% were willing if their nipples may be seen. Those with higher odds of willingness to use telelactation under these modesty conditions were experienced using videochat, white, married, and of higher income. Mothers with security concerns had six times the odds of being uncomfortable with telelactation compared to mothers without concerns. While telelactation can improve access to critical services, willingness to use telelactation may depend on conditions of use and sociodemographics. During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, these findings offer important insights for lactation professionals implementing virtual consultations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Breastfeeding)
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18 pages, 1040 KiB  
Article
Women’s Mental Health as a Factor Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding Duration: Data from a Longitudinal Study in Greece
by Maria Dagla, Irina Mrvoljak-Theodoropoulou, Despoina Karagianni, Calliope Dagla, Dimitra Sotiropoulou, Eleni Kontiza, Aikaterini-Taxiarchoula Kavakou and Evangelia Antoniou
Children 2021, 8(2), 150; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children8020150 - 17 Feb 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3464
Abstract
Background: This study investigated the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration, and maternal psychological well-being in the perinatal period. Methods: A longitudinal study involving a retrospective follow-up of a group of 1080 women from pregnancy to the 1st year postpartum, who gave [...] Read more.
Background: This study investigated the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration, and maternal psychological well-being in the perinatal period. Methods: A longitudinal study involving a retrospective follow-up of a group of 1080 women from pregnancy to the 1st year postpartum, who gave birth during the 5-year period between January 2014 and January 2019 in Athens, Greece, was designed. Women’s history and two psychometric tools—the Edinburg Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) administered at 5-time points—were used for data collection. Logistic regression analysis and a series of multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests were performed. Results: The chance for exclusive breastfeeding (giving only breast milk) appeared to decrease (a) with an increase of the scores for psychometric tools antenatally (PHQ-9, p = 0.030) or at the 6th week postpartum (EPDS, p < 0.001 and PHQ-9, p < 0.001), (b) with an increase in the number of psychotherapeutic sessions needed antenatally (p = 0.030), and (c) when the initiation of psychotherapy was necessary postpartum (p = 0.002). Additionally, a shorter duration of any breastfeeding (with or without formula or other types of food/drink) seems to be associated with (a) the occurrence of pathological mental health symptoms (p = 0.029), (b) increased PHQ-9 scores antenatally (p = 0.018), (c) increased EPDS scores at the 6th week (p = 0.004) and the 12th month postpartum (p = 0.031), (d) the initiation of psychotherapy postpartum (p = 0.040), and e) the need for more than 13 psychotherapeutic sessions (p = 0.020). Conclusions: This study demonstrates a negative relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding duration, and poor maternal mental health in the perinatal period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Breastfeeding)
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12 pages, 2197 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with the Abandonment of Exclusive Breastfeeding before Three Months
by Esmeralda Santacruz-Salas, Antonio Segura-Fragoso, Ana Isabel Cobo-Cuenca, Juan Manuel Carmona-Torres, Diana P. Pozuelo-Carrascosa and José Alberto Laredo-Aguilera
Children 2020, 7(12), 298; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children7120298 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3196
Abstract
The commencement and maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding (EB) are dependent on several mother–infant factors. To analyse the prevalence of EB during four different periods and to analyse the factors that can affect its maintenance, we performed a prospective, observational, longitudinal study of 236 [...] Read more.
The commencement and maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding (EB) are dependent on several mother–infant factors. To analyse the prevalence of EB during four different periods and to analyse the factors that can affect its maintenance, we performed a prospective, observational, longitudinal study of 236 mothers and their child between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation and weighing more than 2.5 kg. Four interviews were conducted (T1: on discharge, T2: at 15 days, T3: at one month, T4: at three months). The results showed that EB decreased considerably at three months (69.5% vs. 47.46%). The factors that reduced the risk of abandonment were as following: having decided before giving birth that one wants to offer breastfeeding (T2: odds ratio (OR): 0.02, p = 0.001), T3 (OR: 0.04, p = 0.001) and T4 (OR: 0.07, p = 0.01)) and having previous experience with EB (T2 (OR: 0.36, p = 0.01), T3 (OR: 0.42 p = 0.02) and T4 (OR: 0.51, p = 0.03)). The factors that increased the risk of EB abandonment were offering feeding bottles in the hospital (T2 (OR: 11. 06, p = 0.001); T3 (OR: 5.51, p = 0.001) and T4 (OR: 4.43, p = 0.001)) and thinking that the infant is not satisfied (T2 (OR: 2.39, p = 0.01) and T3 (OR: 2.34, p = 0.01)). In conclusion, the abandonment of EB in the first three months is associated with sociodemographic and clinical variables and psychological factors such as insecurity and doubts of the mother during the process and the absence of a favourable close environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Breastfeeding)
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13 pages, 220 KiB  
Article
“How about We Give It a Go?”: A Case Study on Supporting Breastfeeding Families in an Australian Child Care Centre
by Emma Woolley and Shirley Wyver
Children 2020, 7(11), 195; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children7110195 - 23 Oct 2020
Viewed by 3228
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuation of breastfeeding for up to two years. Formal child care has an important role in supporting breastfeeding, as many Australian infants commence care before two years of age. Currently, little [...] Read more.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuation of breastfeeding for up to two years. Formal child care has an important role in supporting breastfeeding, as many Australian infants commence care before two years of age. Currently, little is known about support or barriers in child care contexts. The present qualitative instrumental case study explores practices which protect, promote and support breastfeeding at a child care centre located in the Australian Capital Territory’s outer suburbs. Extending from a previously published collective case study, a cultural-institutional focus of analysis was used to explore the roles of proximity, flexibility and communication in supporting breastfeeding within a child care centre located close to an infant’s home. Interviews with centre staff and mothers, triangulated with observations of the centre environment and policy documents provide insight into the environment. Affirming the roles of flexibility in routine and staff rostering and two-way communication, findings suggest longer-term benefits may be derived from selecting a child care centre close to an infant’s home, provided mothers can overcome barriers to breastmilk expression in the workplace. The study recognises the role of non-lactating caregivers in the transition to formal child care, and of the support culture for educators who breastfeed. This study extends the knowledge base of breastfeeding support interventions in the child care setting to inform future research and policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Breastfeeding)
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