Published online October 1, 2008
PEDIATRICS Vol. 122 Supplement October 2008, pp. S50-S55 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-1315f)

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Shealy, K. R. Articles by Grummer-Strawn, L. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Shealy, K. R. Articles by Grummer-Strawn, L. M. Related Collections Nutrition & Metabolism Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE

Characteristics of Breastfeeding Practices Among US Mothers

Katherine R. Shealy, MPH, IBCLC, RLC^a, Kelley S. Scanlon, PhD, RD^a, Judith Labiner-Wolfe, PhD^b, Sara B. Fein, PhD^b and Laurence M. Grummer-Strawn, PhD^a

^a Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
^b Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland

OBJECTIVES. Although much has been published about breastfeeding rates, little is known about how breastfeeding is practiced in the United States. We describe the distributions and characteristics of practices related to common advice about breastfeeding during the infant's first year of life.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS. Participants in the 2005–2007 Infant Feeding Practices Study II received monthly questionnaires during their infants’ first year of life. Among breastfeeding respondents, we investigated patterns and trends in types of breastfeeding (supplementing with formula or not, and at the breast or not) and maternal report of infant feeding behaviors corresponding to common breastfeeding advice on frequency, duration, and intervals of feedings.

RESULTS. More than half of the breastfeeding mothers fed their infants nothing other than breast milk until 4 months of age. Formula supplementation declined from 42% at 1 month to 15% at 1 year; adding other foods/liquids increasingly surpassed supplementing with formula beginning at 5 months of age. Six percent of the mothers reported that the only breast milk the infant was fed was expressed, rather than at the breast. Frequency of breast milk feedings per day declined from 8 at 1 month to 3.5 at 1 year. Reported feeding durations of <20 minutes increased from 46% at 1 month to 88% at 1 year. Feeding from both breasts per feeding decreased 15% over the infant's first year (from 69% to 59%). Longest interfeeding intervals more than doubled over the year.

CONCLUSIONS. Exclusive breastfeeding was common up to 4 but not to 6 months of age. Breastfeeding with only expressed milk was rare. Considerable variation existed in maternal report of practices that correspond to common breastfeeding advice. More research is needed to better understand how these variations relate to breastfeeding outcomes and the role of common breastfeeding advice in infant feeding decisions.

---

Key Words: breastfeeding • breast milk • feeding behavior • human milk • lactation • medical education • mothers • patient education • supplementary feeding

Abbreviations: AAP—American Academy of Pediatrics • IFPS—Infant Feeding Practices Study

---

Accepted Jun 4, 2008.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. B. Fein, L. M. Grummer-Strawn, and T. N.K. Raju Infant Feeding and Care Practices in the United States: Results From the Infant Feeding Practices Study II Pediatrics, October 1, 2008; 122(Supplement_2): S25 - S27. [Full Text] [PDF]