Exclusive Breast Feeding : Is Motivation The Only Issue?

Objectives :- To determine the incidence of and risk factors for suboptimal infant breastfeeding behavior (SIN), delayed onset of lactation, and excess neonatal weight loss among mother-infant pairs in a population with high motivation to breastfeed. Methods : It was Prospective Observational cohort of mother-infant pairs. All mothers delivering a singleton in NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences during the 6 month period from April Et September 2009 were included if they were wilting to attempt to breast feed exclusively for atteast 1 month. Infant breast feeding behaviour was evaluated by using Infant Breastfeeding Assessment Tool. Onset of lactation was defined on the basis of maternal report of changes in breast fullness. Infant weight loss was considered excessive if it was >10% of birth weight by day 3. The main outcome variables studied were: 1) SIBB on day 0,3,7 Et 14 (2)delayed onset of milk production, breast not noticeably full (3 on the scale of 1-5) by 72 hours postpartum (3) Excess infant weight loss on day 3 (>10% or more).X2 test was used for multivariate associations. Results :- SIBB on day 0 was significantly associated with excessive weight loss on day 3. SIBB on day 0 improved and weight gain occurred by day 7 with close observation & lactation guidance. Mother confidence to breast feed was significantly associated with a good IBFAT score. Conclusions : The results indicate that lactation difficulties are not uncommon during first few days postpartum. Excessive weight loss can be predicted on the basis of SIBB on day 0. An women with delayed lactation can eventually establish an adequate milk supply but the phenomenon should be taken seriously not only because it can lead to excess weight loss in the short term, but because it has been linked with shorter breastfeeding duration. Key Words Suboptimal, Infant, Breast feeding