In The News: Many First Time Mother's Experience Breast Feeding Difficulty

From NAPNAP's PNP Daily News email 9/24/13:

Many First-Time Mothers Experience Breastfeeding Difficulty.

In continuing coverage, Reuters (9/24, Pittman) reports that breast-feeding can prove difficult for new mothers. In an analysispublished online Sept. 23 in Pediatrics, after interviewing first-time mothers, researchers discovered that 92% reported that they experienced difficulty with breastfeeding starting the third day of the infant’s life. Problems included difficulty feeding, concerns regarding milk supply and pain. Reuters adds that exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization until the child reaches six months. After six months, breast-feeding is to be continued “with the addition of appropriate foods through age two.”

        CBS News (9/24, Jaslow) reports on its website that researchers have reached out to hospitals to “develop strategies to reach concerned moms early on into the postpartum period.” Dr. Laurie Nommsen-Rivers, the study’s lead investigator, stated that a two-prong approach is necessary to assist mothers with breastfeeding: First, “strengthening protective factors,” like peer support andbreastfeeding education, and second, providing professional lactation support to address their concerns.

        Breastfeeding Concern Raises Questions Regarding Bed-Sharing. The Los Angeles Times (9/24, Brown) reports that another study published online Sept. 23 in JAMA Pediatrics explored the relationship between sharing a bed with an infant and breast-feeding, which determined that breast-feeding lasted longer for infants who “slept on the same ‘sleeping surfaces’ as their mothers.” Ninety percent of new mothers reported in this survey that they, too, experienced issues with breast-feeding shortly after childbirth, and while bed-sharing may alleviate those problems, the authors of the study warned mothers of the safety risks associated with infant-parent bed-sharing.

        Reuters (9/24, Pittman) reports that although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants remain close to their parents while sleeping, sleeping in the same bed may increase the infants’ risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

        The story is also covered by the NPR (9/23, Shute) “Shots” blog, the Time (9/23, Sifferlin) “Healthland” blog, HealthDay (9/24, Salamon), and MedPage Today (9/24, Walsh).

From PNP Daily News email 9/23/14:

Nursing Difficulties Could Lead New Mothers To Stop Trying.

MedPage Today (9/23, Raeburn) reports on a prospective study published online in the journal Pediatrics, which found that “new mothers who had problems breastfeeding, especially during the first 2 months postpartum, were at risk of giving up nursing and using formula.” According to researchers, “the peak adjusted relative risk (ARR) for stopping breastfeeding at day 3 was 9.2 (95% CI 3.0-infinity) among women who expressed concerns.” The data indicated that “breastfeeding concerns that yielded the largest adjusted population attributable risk (PAR) for stopping were ‘infant feeding difficulty’ at day 7 (PAR 32%) and ‘milk quantity’ (PAR 23%) at day 14.”