Jill R. Demirci

Characteristics of Breastfeeding Discussions at the Initial Prenatal Visit

OBJECTIVE: To describe the observed characteristics of first prenatal visit breastfeeding discussions between obstetric providers and their pregnant patients. METHODS: This analysis was part of a larger study involving 69 health care providers and 377 patients attending their initial prenatal visits at a single clinic. Audio recordings and transcripts from the first 172 visits (including 36 obstetric–gynecology residents, six nurse midwives, and five nurse practitioners) were reviewed for breastfeeding discussion occurrence, timing and initiator of discussions, and adherence to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (College) prenatal breastfeeding guidelines. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and frequency of breastfeeding discussions. Logistic regression and &khgr;2 tests were used to examine patterns in womens breastfeeding discussion preferences and discussion occurrence. Conversations were qualitatively analyzed for breastfeeding content. RESULTS: Breastfeeding discussions were infrequent (29% of visits), brief (mean 39 seconds), and most often initiated by clinicians in an ambivalent manner. Sixty-nine percent of breastfeeding discussions incorporated any College breastfeeding recommendations. Breastfeeding was significantly more likely to be discussed by certified nurse midwives than residents (odds ratio 24.54, 95% confidence interval 3.78–159.06; P<.01), and certified nurse midwives tended to engage patients in more open discussions. Women indicating a preference for breastfeeding discussions at the first visit (n=19) were more likely to actually have the discussion (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Observed breastfeeding education at the first prenatal visit was suboptimal. The causes and effect of this deficiency on breastfeeding outcomes remains an important point of investigation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Prevalence and Predictors of Early Breastfeeding Among Late Preterm Mother–Infant Dyads

BACKGROUND Although late preterm infants (LPIs), at 34(0/7)-36(6/7) weeks of gestation, are reported to have suboptimal rates of breastfeeding, there is a lack of quantitative evidence describing this trend. This study examined the prevalence of breastfeeding initiation and factors associated with breastfeeding non-initiation within a Pennsylvania population-based cohort of late preterm mother-infant dyads. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Descriptive statistics and odds ratios were used to assess and compare breastfeeding initiation rates in 2003-2009 among LPI mothers (n=62,451) and their infants (n=68,886) with moderately preterm (n=17,325) and term (n=870,034) infants. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association of system/provider, sociodemographic, and medical factors with breastfeeding non-initiation in late preterm mother-infant dyads for the year 2009 (n=7,012). RESULTS Although LPI breastfeeding initiation in Pennsylvania increased significantly from 2003 (54%) to 2009 (61.8%) (p<0.001), the 2009 prevalence remained well below rates in term infant populations and national standards. The regression model indicated that interactions involving sociodemographic variables, including marital status, age, race/ethnicity, education, parity, Women, Infants and Children Program participation, and smoking status were among the most significant factors associated with LPI breastfeeding non-initiation (p<0.05). The univariate results were similar to those reported in preterm and term populations. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that certain, unexpected demographic groups in the late preterm population be prioritized for further analysis and possibly greater breastfeeding support. More research is indicated to understand the effect of modifiable psychosocial factors on LPI breastfeeding initiation.

Breastfeeding and Methadone Therapy: The Maternal Experience.

BACKGROUND Despite evidence of low transfer of methadone into breast milk and the potential physical and psychological benefits that breastfeeding offers for methadone-exposed mothers and infants, the rate of breastfeeding initiation in this population is about half that reported nationally. This study describes the perceptions surrounding breastfeeding decisions and management among pregnant and postpartum women taking methadone. METHODS Seven pregnant women and 4 postpartum women enrolled in methadone maintenance programs participated in semistructured, audiotaped interviews and focus groups, respectively, about their breastfeeding experiences. Transcripts were analyzed and coded using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS Three major content categories were identified: (1) fears, barriers, and misconceptions about breastfeeding while taking methadone; (2) motivation and perceived benefits of breastfeeding; and (3) sources of information, support, and anxiety about general breastfeeding management and breastfeeding while taking methadone. Lack of support from the health care community and misinformation about the dangers of combining breastfeeding and methadone therapy represented significant, yet modifiable, barriers to breastfeeding success in methadone-exposed women. CONCLUSIONS Interventions to increase the prevalence of breastfeeding among women taking methadone should address identified logistical, educational, and psychological barriers and consider inclusion of women themselves, partners, peers, and clinicians. In particular, clinicians who care for methadone-exposed mothers and infants should be educated on therapeutic communication, up-to-date breastfeeding contraindications, and the health benefits of breastfeeding in this population.

Weighing worth against uncertain work: the interplay of exhaustion, ambiguity, hope and disappointment in mothers breastfeeding late preterm infants

Poor breastfeeding outcomes among late preterm infants (LPIs) have been attributed to inadequate breast milk transfer stemming from physiological immaturities. However, breastfeeding is more than a biological phenomenon, and it is unclear how mothers of LPIs manage other factors that may also impact the breastfeeding course. Using grounded theory methods and incorporating serial post-partum interviews with several novel data collection techniques, we examined breastfeeding establishment over a 6-8-week-period among 10 late preterm mother-infant dyads recruited from a maternity hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. We found that breastfeeding in the LPI population was a fluctuating, cascade-like progression of trial and error, influenced by a host of contextual factors and events and culminating with breastfeeding continuation (with or without future caveats for duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding) or cessation. The trajectory was explained by the basic psychosocial process Weighing Worth against Uncertain Work, which encompassed the tension among breastfeeding motivation, the intensity of breastfeeding work and the ambiguity surrounding infant behaviour and feeding cues. Several sub-processes were also identified: Playing the Game, Letting Him Be the Judge vs. Accommodating Both of Us and Questioning Worth vs. Holding out Hope. If valid, our theoretical model indicates a need for earlier, more extensive and more qualified breastfeeding support for mothers of LPIs that emphasizes the connection between prematurity and observed feeding behaviours.

An Ecological Momentary Assessment of Primiparous Women’s Breastfeeding Behavior and Problems From Birth to 8 Weeks

Background: Primiparous women are at risk for early, unintended breastfeeding reduction and cessation. Breastfeeding patterns that contribute to these outcomes require further exploration. Research aim: This study aimed to describe early, “real-time” breastfeeding behaviors and perceived problems of primiparous women. Methods: First-time mothers intending to exclusively breastfeed downloaded a commercial infant-feeding app during their postpartum hospitalization. Women logged feedings and their breastfeeding experiences, as they occurred, through 8 weeks postpartum. Additional feeding and background data were collected via electronic medical records and questionnaires administered at enrollment and 2 and 8 weeks postpartum. Summary statistics were compiled to examine weekly breastfeeding behaviors and problems. Results: In this sample of 61 primarily highly educated, White women committed to breastfeeding, 38% (n = 23) used formula during the postpartum hospitalization and 68% (n = 34) used formula at least once by 2 weeks. Nine women stopped breastfeeding during the study. Women using any formula in the hospital and those with less positive baseline attitudes toward breastfeeding were less likely to be exclusively breastfeeding at 2 and 8 weeks, respectively (p < .05). There was a trend toward declining at-breast feeds and high rates of milk expression during the study. Breastfeeding problems peaked at Week 2, with 81% of women (n = 39) endorsing at least one problem at that time. The most prevalent problems included perception of inadequate milk, pain, latching, and inefficient feeds. Conclusion: Interventions to address suboptimal breastfeeding in primiparous women should consider the pervasiveness of early milk expression and in-hospital formula supplementation in this population, as well as the trajectory of common problems.

Breastfeeding and short sleep duration in mothers and 6-11-month-old infants.

This study examined breastfeeding and sleep in 77 dyads of mothers and infants 6-11 months old. Data revealed no significant difference in sleep patterns between breastfed and non-breastfed infants. Controlling for variables including breastfeeding status, only infant nighttime sleep duration was significant in predicting maternal short sleep duration.

Optimizing Telehealth Strategies for Subspecialty Care: Recommendations from Rural Pediatricians

BACKGROUND Telehealth offers strategies to improve access to subspecialty care for children in rural communities. Rural pediatrician experiences and preferences regarding the use of these telehealth strategies for childrens subspecialty care needs are not known. We elicited rural pediatrician experiences and preferences regarding different pediatric subspecialty telehealth strategies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with rural pediatricians from 17 states within the United States. Interviewees were recruited by e-mails to a pediatric rural health listserv and to rural pediatricians identified through snowball sampling. Themes were identified through thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. RESULTS Rural pediatricians identified several telehealth strategies to improve access to subspecialty care, including physician access hotlines, remote electronic medical record access, electronic messaging systems, live video telemedicine, and telehealth triage systems. Rural pediatricians provided recommendations for optimizing the utility of each of these strategies based on their experiences with different systems. Rural pediatricians preferred specific telehealth strategies for specific clinical contexts, resulting in a proposed framework describing the complementary role of different telehealth strategies for pediatric subspecialty care. Finally, rural pediatricians identified additional benefits associated with the use of telehealth strategies and described a desire for telehealth systems that enhanced (rather than replaced) personal relationships between rural pediatricians and subspecialists. CONCLUSIONS Rural pediatricians described complementary roles for different subspecialty care telehealth strategies. Additionally, rural pediatricians provided recommendations for optimizing individual telehealth strategies. Input from rural pediatricians will be crucial for optimizing specific telehealth strategies and designing effective telehealth systems.

Integrative Review of Interventions to Promote Breastfeeding in the Late Preterm Infant

Objective: To define the different breastfeeding interventions that promote breastfeeding exclusivity and duration in the late preterm infant and to synthesize findings from the published empirical literature on late preterm infant breastfeeding interventions. Data Sources: The databases CINAHL, Scopus, and PubMed were searched for primary research articles on breastfeeding interventions for late preterm infants. Inclusion criteria included original research studies in which authors examined a breastfeeding intervention or second‐line strategy in a sample inclusive of but not necessarily limited to the gestational age range of 34 to 36Symbol weeks gestation, written in English, and published between 2005 and 2015. Symbol. No caption available. Study Selection: Thirteen articles were identified, including five randomized controlled trials, three quasi‐experimental studies, four descriptive studies, and one case study. Data Extraction: Whittemore and Knafls methodology guided this integrative review. Data extraction and organization occurred under the following headings: author and year, study design, level of evidence, purpose, sample, setting, results, limitations, recommendations, and intervention. Data Synthesis: Studies on breastfeeding interventions were synthesized under four concepts within the Late Preterm Conceptual Framework: Physiologic Functional Status, Care Practices, Family Role, and Care Environment. Conclusion: Most breastfeeding interventions within this integrative review had positive effects on exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding in the late preterm infant. However, second‐line strategies had equivocal effects on exclusivity but had positive effects on duration. The positive effects of breastfeeding interventions on breastfeeding exclusivity and duration are highlighted in our results, and we point to the need for a focus on breastfeeding after the transition home for late preterm infants.

Access, Use, and Preferences for Technology-Based Perinatal and Breastfeeding Support Among Childbearing Women.

ABSTRACT We surveyed 146 postpartum women who birthed at 34–37 6/7 weeks of gestation and intended to breastfeed about their use of and preferences regarding technology to obtain perinatal and breastfeeding support. Most participants owned smartphones and used technology during pregnancy to track pregnancy data, follow fetal development, address pregnancy concerns, and obtain breastfeeding information. Internet, e-mail, apps, and multiplatform resources were the most popular technologies used and preferred. Demographic differences existed in mobile technology access and preferences for different technologies. In terms of technology-based breastfeeding support, women wanted encouragement, anticipatory guidance, and information about milk production. A nuanced understanding of the technology childbearing women use and desire has the potential to impact clinical care and inform perinatal support interventions.

Winging it: maternal perspectives and experiences of breastfeeding newborns with complex congenital surgical anomalies

ObjectiveTo describe the experience of breastfeeding (inclusive of breast milk expression/pumping, provision of breast milk via devices, and at-breastfeeding) among mothers of newborns with complex congenital surgical anomalies and the contexts under which pro-breastfeeding behaviors and attitudes are facilitated or compromised.Study designWe used qualitative description to analyze 23 interviews conducted with 15 mothers of newborns undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal, cardiac, or neural tube defects.ResultsBreastfeeding experiences were characterized by naivety regarding the importance and rationale for exclusive breast milk feedings and best practices to facilitate milk supply maintenance and transition to at-breast feeds. Maternal breastfeeding views and behaviors were impacted by indeterminate prenatal plans to breastfeed/provide breast milk, limited prior breastfeeding exposure and knowledge, and gaps in postnatal lactation support.ConclusionFuture research should investigate methods to improve exclusive breast milk feeding and facilitate transitions to at-breast feeds among mothers of newborns with surgical congenital anomalies, with consideration of identified barriers.