Single daily bottle use in the early weeks postpartum and breast-feeding outcomes.
A prospective study of breast-feeding mothers was undertaken to determine the effects of limited bottle use and infant temperament on breast-feeding outcomes. White, married, primigravida women who were committed prenatally to breast-feeding for at least 6 weeks (n = 121) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a planned bottle group that would offer one bottle daily between the second and sixth weeks postpartum and a total breast-feeding group that would avoid bottles during the same period. Group assignment had no effect on the occurrence of breast-feeding problems, on mothers' achievement of 90% of their prenatal breast-feeding duration goals, or on weeks to weaning across the study period. At 6 months postpartum, 59% of the planned bottle group and 69% of the total breast-feeding group were still breast-feeding. No main or interactive effects of infant temperament on breast-feeding outcomes were found.
Cronenwett
L
L
Department of Nursing, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, NH.
Stukel
T
T
Kearney
M
M
Barrett
J
J
Covington
C
C
Del Monte
K
K
Reinhardt
R
R
Rippe
L
L
D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011446:Prospective Studies