According to a 2020 study
"having doubts or thinking that the infant was not getting enough food or especially having offered the infant bottles of artificial milk during the stay in hospital were the factors that had the most influence on the abandonment of EB (exclusive breastfeeding) at 15 days and before the end of the first month."
What protected EB? "If, before the birth, the mother had decided that she wanted to breastfeed her newborn, this reduced the risk of abandonment at 15 days by 98%, at one month by 96% and at three months by 93%"
Talking about breastfeeding prenatally is an important piece of exclusive breastfeeding success. For help assessing and supporting your client's breastfeeding intention and confidence look in the Steps to Take Manual, Nutrition 147. Offer your client prenatal breastfeeding support with a referral to the WIC Peer Counseling Program.
Postpartum support can be a challenge in our post-Covid world.
For a current list of support resources check out the
Sonoma County Breastfeeding Coalition website
or the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Breastfeeding page.
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