title: Are infant behavioural feeding difficulties associated with congenital heart disease?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the feeding patterns and difficulties of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) and healthy controls. Information was gathered via parental questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  A matched case controlled study of 64 infants with CHD compared with 64 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main findings were: (1) Feeding patterns: mothers with infants with CHD used bottle-feeding as a first method of feeding their babies more often (CHD, 20%, controls, 2%); (2) Specific feeding difficulties: (a) infants with CHD were significantly more breathless when feeding (CHD = 16%, controls, 0%), (b) had more vomiting at mealtimes (CHD = 23%, controls = 11%), but (c) had significantly less spitting (CHD = 19%, controls, 41%); and (3) infants with CHD showed significantly reduced growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The feeding difficulties are related to the organic condition and not specific difficulties in mother-infant interaction. Professional support may be required for mothers of infants with CHD to maintain feeding routines and to deal with the difficulties that arise.
authors.affiliation: Leopold Muller Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shinebourne
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male