PubMed · 10205442
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1998. Recent references.. https://doi.org/10.1177/089033449801400336
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CONTEXT: Promotional and educational programs relating to breast feeding are important for reversing the decline in this practice. Most programs are centered exclusively on breast feeding, although general knowledge about newborn health care may be important, especially among pregnant women. OBJECTIVE: To study pregnant women's knowledge about general health care of newborns, including breast feeding aspects. TYPE OF STUDY: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Prof. Samuel Barnsley Pessoa Health School Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: All pregnant women who were registered in the prenatal care program during six consecutive months. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Aspects of the current gestation, previous gestations and childbirth, knowledge of the general aspects of newborn health care and of breast feeding practices. RESULTS: The results show that only a little over half of the pregnant women had received any information on newborn health care. Misinformation was clearly present regarding proper care of the umbilical stump and the nature of jaundice, and worst regarding how to treat oral thrush and jaundice, and about vaccination. In relation to breast feeding, even though almost all the pregnant women declared their intention to breast feeding, less than half had a concrete response regarding how long to do it for. The low rates obtained in the topics dealing with the duration, nursing intervals and the attitude to be taken towards hypogalactia show unfamiliarity with the breast feeding technique. The "weak milk" belief, the misinformation about contraceptive methods during breast feeding and the cost of artificial formulas also have a negative impact on this practice. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women's knowledge of newborn health care is low, as much in the aspects of general care as in relation to the practice of breast feeding. These findings must be taken into consideration in educative programs promoting breast feeding.
This investigation was carried out to comparatively assess the duration of breast milk feeding and to analyze risk factors for early cessation of breast milk feeding in term and very preterm infants. A cohort study was performed in 89 consecutive very low birthweight (VLBW) infants (<1500 g) who survived for at least for one week, and 177 term infants with birthweights >2500 g born in the same hospital matched for gender and multiplicity. Median duration of breast milk feeding, as determined from charts and questionnaires mailed to the mothers at 6 and 12 months corrected age, was 36 days in VLBW infants, compared to 112 days in control infants (P<0.0001). In both VLBW and control infants, smoking during pregnancy, low maternal and low paternal school education were each significantly associated with short duration of breast milk feeding. In VLBW infants, multiple pregnancy and gestational age <29 weeks were each associated with prolonged breast milk feeding, as were maternal age >35 years and spontaneous pregnancy (as opposed to pregnancy following infertility treatment) in term infants. Multivariate analysis revealed that VLBW, smoking and low parental school education were independent negative predictors of breast milk feeding. While these results emphasize the need for special support of VLBW infant mothers promoting lactation, the relationships between smoking, school education and breast milk feeding in both strata show that efforts to increase breast milk feeding require a public health perspective.
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