Breast-feeding problems in the first week postpartum

Abstract

Pre- and perinatal variables commonly found to predict breast-feeding duration were examined to see whether they also predicted breast-feeding problems in the first week postpartum. One hundred and twenty-eight families who prenatally committed to breast-feeding for at least 6 weeks comprised the sample. The families were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a group in which bottle feedings would be avoided in Weeks 2-6 postpartum and a group in which approximately one bottle per day would be given during the same period. Breast-feeding events most commonly experienced as problems in previous studies were also reported by mothers in this sample. Multiple regression analyses revealed that bottle use in the hospital, lower satisfaction with first breast-feeding, and group assignment were weakly predictive of the Breast-feeding Problem Score at 1 week, R2 = .154, p = .0004. The negative effect of hospital bottle use was greater for women in the bottle-restricted group than for women in the planned-bottle group.