Infant feeding policies in maternity wards and their effect on breast-feeding success: an analytical overview.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this review is to examine the plausibility of a causal relationship between maternity ward practices and lactation success.


METHODS
Studies were located with MEDLINE, from our personal files, and by contacting researchers working in this field. Of the 65 studies originally reviewed, 18 met our inclusion criteria (i.e., hospital-based intervention, experimental design with randomization procedures, or quasi-experimental design with adequate documentation).


RESULTS
Meta-analysis indicated that commercial discharge packs had an adverse effect on lactation performance. The impact of early mother-infant contact on lactation success was unclear. Rooming-in and breast-feeding guidance in a rooming-in context had a beneficial impact on breast-feeding among primiparae. Breast-feeding on demand was positively associated with lactation success. In-hospital formula supplementation of 48 mL per day was not associated with poor breast-feeding performance.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospital-based breast-feeding interventions can have a beneficial effect on lactation success, particularly among primiparous women.
Pérez-Escamilla
R
R
Department of Nutrition, University of California at Davis 95616-8669.
Pollitt
E
E
Lönnerdal
B
B
Dewey
K G
KG
D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009725:Nurseries, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012386:Rooming-in Care; D016019:Survival Analysis