Amy Brown

Impact of consuming a milk drink containing a probiotic on mood and cognition

Objective:The impact on mood and memory of consuming a probiotic containing milk drink, or a placebo, was examined as, previously, a poor mood has been found to correlate with the frequency of constipation.Design:A double-blind placebo-controlled trial with random allocation of subjects.Setting:Subjects went about their normal life in the community apart from three visits to the laboratory.Subjects:One hundred and thirty-two healthy members of general population, mean age 61.8 years, volunteered in response to local media coverage. One hundred and twenty-four finished the trial.Intervention:For a 3-week period, either a probiotic containing milk drink, or a placebo, were consumed daily. Mood and cognition were measured at baseline, and after 10 and 20 days of consumption.Results:At baseline those who reported themselves to be less frequently constipated were more clearheaded, confident and elated. Although the taking of the probiotic did not generally change the mood, this appeared to be a reflection of the generally good mood in this sample. When those in the bottom third of the depressed/elated dimension at baseline were considered, they selectively responded by reporting themselves as happy rather than depressed after taking the probiotic. The intervention did not, however, influence the reported frequency of defaecation, probably a reflection of the initially low incidence of constipation. An unexpected and possibly chance finding was that the consumption of probiotics resulted in a slightly-poorer performance on two measures of memory.Conclusions:The consumption of a probiotic-containing yoghurt improved the mood of those whose mood was initially poor. This improvement in mood was not, however, associated with an increased frequency of defaecation.Sponsorship:Funded by Yakult, Japan.

A descriptive study investigating the use and nature of baby-led weaning in a UK sample of mothers

An alternative to traditional weaning methods known as baby-led weaning (BLW) appears to be emerging in the UK. This approach advocates bypassing typical weaning practices of spoon-feeding puréed foods or baby rice, encouraging instead the introduction of foods in their whole form to the infant from 6 months old. A key tenet of BLW is self-feeding. Anecdotally, the practice of BLW appears to be gaining in popularity. However, research evidence is scant, and little is known about the nature of BLW and the demography of those who utilize it. This study aimed to characterize a sample of women who have chosen to adopt the BLW method and to describe associated attitudes and behaviours. Six hundred and fifty five mothers with a child between 6 months and 12 months of age provided information about timing of weaning onset, use of spoon-feeding and purées, and experiences of weaning and meal times. Those participants who used a BLW method reported little use of spoon-feeding and purées and were more likely to have a higher education, higher occupation, be married and have breastfed their infant. BLW was associated with a later introduction of complementary foods, greater participation in meal times and exposure to family foods. Levels of anxiety about weaning and feeding were lower in mothers who adopted a BLW approach. These findings provide an insight into BLW practices and the characteristics of a small population of users.

Young mothers who choose to breast feed: the importance of being part of a supportive breast-feeding community

OBJECTIVE to examine factors associated with breast-feeding initiation and duration in young mothers (≤24 years). DESIGN a retrospective questionnaire completed between six and 24 months post partum. SETTING mothers were recruited from local mother and infant groups, nurseries and online mother and infant forums. PARTICIPANTS 138 mothers aged between 17 and 24 years (mean age 21.93 years) MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS participants completed a retrospective questionnaire about their experience of breast or artificial milk feeding during the first six months post partum. A further 10 mothers who breast fed for at least six months completed a semi-structured interview. Breast feeding for at least six months was positively associated with attending a breast-feeding support group, believing breast feeding to be easy, being part of an environment where breast feeding is normative, and being encouraged to breast feed by others. KEY CONCLUSIONS themes raised highlight the importance of viewing breast feeding as the normal way to feed an infant and having others support the mother in this behaviour. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE increasing breast-feeding initiation and duration among this at-risk group is important for both infant and maternal health. Helping mothers to view breast feeding as the norm, creating an environment where breast feeding is accepted, providing professional and peer support, and encouraging the mother to continue breast feeding are important steps in raising breast-feeding rates among younger mothers.

Breastfeeding during the first year promotes satiety responsiveness in children aged 18–24 months

What is already known about this subject? Infants who are formula fed have an increased risk of overweight and obesity compared to breastfed infants. Individuals who are satiety responsive, matching their intake of energy to need, are more likely to be a healthy weight. Breastfeeding may promote satiety responsiveness as the infant has greater opportunity to regulate their intake of milk in comparison to being fed with a bottle. However little research has been conducted on this relationship.

Maternal child-feeding style during the weaning period: Association with infant weight and maternal eating style

A controlling maternal child-feeding style has been show to have negative consequences for child weight and eating style for children over the age of 12 months. Maternal restriction is associated with increased consumption of food if given free access and child overweight. Pressure to eat conversely is associated with picky eating and a lower child weight. Little research however has considered the influence of maternal feeding style under 1 year, during the period when infants are being introduced to complementary foods. In the current study, 642 mothers with a child aged 6-12 months completed a copy of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (Birch, Fisher, Grimm-Thomas, Markey, Sawyer & Johnson 2001), the Dutch Eating Questionnaire (Van Strien, Frijters, Bergers, & Defares 1986) and reported infant and maternal weight. Differences in maternal feeding style were identifiable during this period and related to infant weight and maternal weight and eating style. Infant weight was positively correlated with maternal use of restriction, monitoring and concern for infant weight. Moreover, mothers high in restraint, external and emotional eating reported higher levels of concern for infant weight, restriction and monitoring and perceived their infants to be larger. The findings suggest that the extent to which controlling feeding practices are used is influenced by infant and maternal personal weight concerns even at this early stage. Potentially, these early behaviours could have long term consequences for child weight and eating style.

Early influences on child satiety-responsiveness: the role of weaning style

Nutrition during infancy may have a long‐term impact upon weight gain and eating style. How infants are introduced to solid foods may be important. Traditionally, infants are introduced to solid foods via spoon‐feeding of purees. However, baby‐led weaning advocates allowing infants to self‐feed foods in their whole form. Advocates suggest this may promote healthy eating styles, but evidence is sparse. The aim of the current study was to compare child eating behaviour at 18–24 months between infants weaned using a traditional weaning approach and those weaned using a baby‐led weaning style.

Maternal trait personality and breastfeeding duration: the importance of confidence and social support

Abstract Aim To explore associations among breastfeeding duration, maternal personality and maternal attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Background Understanding influences on breastfeeding initiation and duration is critical to increasing breastfeeding rates and supporting new mothers. Maternal characteristics such as self‐efficacy, knowledge and confidence are known to enable women to breastfeed, but little is known about the influence of maternal trait personality on breastfeeding. Design An exploratory cross‐sectional survey. Method A total of 602 mothers with an infant aged 6–12 months old completed a self‐report questionnaire examining maternal trait personality, breastfeeding duration and attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Data were collected between March–June 2009. Results Mothers who reported high levels of extraversion, emotional stability and conscientiousness were significantly more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding for a longer duration. Attitudes and experiences significantly associated with these personality traits such as perceived difficulties and lack of support may explain these patterns. For example, characteristics associated with introversion and anxiety may prevent women from seeking support or challenging negative attitudes of others at this critical time. Conclusion Understanding the influence of maternal personality may thus be a useful tool in antenatal support to recognize women who may need extra, directed support while facilitating discussion of potential barriers to breastfeeding.

Maternal control of child-feeding during breast and formula feeding in the first 6 months post-partum

BACKGROUND Mothers who breastfeed use lower levels of control over later child diet. The baby-led nature of breastfeeding may encourage this low control to develop. Alternatively maternal desire for control may drive breastfeeding duration. The present study explored whether differences in maternal control are present during milk feeding and whether these stem from or drive breastfeeding duration. METHODS Five hundred and two mothers with an infant aged 6-12 months completed a modified retrospective version of the child-feeding questionnaire adapted to reflect milk feeding during the first 6 months post-partum. Participants were recruited from mother and baby groups and online parenting forums. Mothers recalled their use of encouraging intake and scheduling feeds in relation to their infants intake of milk. Attitudes towards breastfeeding were also measured, including views that breastfeeding is inconvenient, difficult and that formula-fed infants were more content. RESULTS Compared to mothers who formula-fed or ceased breastfeeding within 1 week, mothers who breastfed for at least 6 months recalled a lower use of scheduling and encouraging milk feeds. Mothers who initiated breastfeeding but ceased within 1 week reported lower control compared to exclusive formula feeders. A high level of scheduling feeds was associated with considering that breastfeeding was inconvenient and a greater perceived infant size, whereas encouraging feeds was associated with considering that breastfeeding was difficult, low maternal confidence and a smaller perceived infant size. CONCLUSIONS Maternal desire for control may drive breastfeeding duration. A controlling maternal feeding style may therefore be dispositional and present much earlier than current studies suggest.

Indices of Multiple Deprivation predict breastfeeding duration in England and Wales

BACKGROUND To investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and socio-economic status as measured by the English and Welsh Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). METHODS Total 216 multiparous women whose youngest or only child was between 6 and 24 months completed a retrospective questionnaire study of infant feeding between birth and 26 weeks. Measurements included breast-feeding history; socio-economic demography and IMD. RESULTS Breastfeeding duration was associated with levels of multiple deprivation in both English and Welsh samples. Deprivation level and breastfeeding duration were associated with traditional indicators of socio-economic status. When considered in combination with other socio-economic indicators of breastfeeding duration, the deprivation level remained a strong predictor of breastfeeding duration over and above other socio-economic measures. CONCLUSIONS Deprivation, as assessed by the IMD is predictive of breastfeeding duration. Postcode and thus deprivation level can be used as a non-intrusive way to identify women most at risk of low breastfeeding rates. Service provision can be targeted directly at women in areas recognized at being high in deprivation.

Impact of birth complications on breastfeeding duration: an internet survey

AIM To explore reasons underlying cessation of breastfeeding in mothers with uncomplicated vaginal deliveries and those experiencing complications during childbirth. BACKGROUND Interventions during labour and childbirth can have a negative impact on breastfeeding. Explanations include adverse reactions to medication, delayed breastfeeding initiation, and disruption of the normal endocrinology of childbirth. However, reasons for breastfeeding cessation linked to birth experience have not been fully examined. Increasing breastfeeding duration and, consequently, improving infant and maternal health in the UK depend on understanding why women stop breastfeeding. DESIGN An exploratory cross-sectional survey. METHOD Between January-May 2009, 284 mothers attending community groups in Swansea, Wales, and mothers participating in online parenting forums, who initiated breastfeeding but discontinued before 6 months postpartum, reported their birth experience, including complications and reasons for breastfeeding cessation in an internet survey. RESULTS Mothers who experienced birth complications breastfed for a significantly shorter duration than those who did not. Specifically, caesarean deliveries, foetal distress, failure to progress, and postpartum haemorrhage were each associated with a shorter breastfeeding duration. Mothers who experienced complications were more likely to discontinue breastfeeding for reasons of pain and difficulty than mothers who did not experience complications, yet no difference was seen between groups for social reasons such as embarrassment or a lack of support. CONCLUSION Certain complications during labour may increase risk of specific physical difficulties with breastfeeding, possibly due to their association with medications received. Maternity health professionals should be alert to this possibility to offer enhanced attention and care to overcome these issues and prolong breastfeeding duration.