title: Commitment to Breastfeeding in the Context of Phenylketonuria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the meaning and importance of breastfeeding to mothers of infants with phenylketonuria (PKU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative description.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers from the United States and Canada were recruited from the PKU Listserv and interviewed by telephone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten breastfeeding mothers with infants who had PKU and were younger than age 36 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers' thoughts, decisions, and experiences of breastfeeding their infants with PKU were collected through telephone interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using thematic descriptive analysis in the context of PKU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants felt that that breastfeeding an infant with PKU was the healthiest choice and was therefore worth the labor. These women believed that this was what a loving mother would choose. As they continued to breastfeed their infants after diagnosis, the views of the participants changed. Initially they saw PKU as a disorder and felt that their infants were ill; later they felt that their infants were healthy in spite of PKU. Normal could mean a breastfeeding infant with PKU.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings demonstrate the importance mothers attribute to breastfeeding and their willingness to invest considerable effort to breastfeed. Health care providers working with these mothers should help them strategize for success.
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Banta-Wright
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kodadek
authors.forename: Gail M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Houck
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Knafl
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002170:Canada; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010661:Phenylketonurias / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: breast milk; breastfeeding; infant feeding; newborn; phenylalanine; phenylketonuria (PKU)