LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Winifred Mading <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:07:36 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (24 lines)
A single antenatal counseling session with educational materials improved breast-feeding practices up to 3 months after delivery, according to the results of a randomized trial reported in the January issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
"Exclusive and predominant breastfeeding rates in many developed countries often fall short of the practice recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics," write Citra Nurfarah Mattar, MMed (O&G), of the National University Hospital in Singapore, and colleagues. "Despite increasing awareness of the many advantages of breastfeeding, the challenge remains to implement programs that can effectively improve short- and long-term breastfeeding rates, especially of exclusive and predominant breastfeeding."
At a tertiary referral center from May 2002 to December 2004, the investigators recruited a random sample of 401 eligible low-risk antenatal patients from clinics in the National University Hospital, Singapore. Women in group A received breast-feeding educational material and individual coaching from a lactation counselor; women in group B received only breast-feeding educational material with no counseling; and women in group C received only routine antenatal care.
Compared with mothers receiving routine care alone, mothers receiving individual counseling and educational material practiced exclusive and predominant breast-feeding more often at 3 months (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 - 5.4) and at 6 months (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0 - 5.7) postpartum. Compared with women given educational material alone, more mothers who received individual counseling practiced exclusive and predominant breast-feeding at 6 months (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.0 - 6.3).
Study limitations include insufficient recruitment to fulfill power calculations and contamination between groups not strictly prevented.
"Where breastfeeding practices are suboptimal, simple one-encounter antenatal education and counseling significantly improve breastfeeding practice up to 3 months after delivery," the authors write. "Provision of printed or audiovisual educational material is not enough. Health care workers should make every effort to have one face-to-face encounter to discuss breastfeeding with expectant mothers before they deliver."
The National Healthcare Group, Singapore, supported this study.
Obstet Gynecol. 2007;109:73-80.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/550406


Winnie

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET email list is powered by LISTSERV (R).
There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2