Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Longitudinal Patterns of Breastfeeding Initiation

  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Breastfeeding, in spite of proven benefits and energetic promotion, lags behind national goals, is less prevalent in disadvantaged populations, and declines across successive children in a family. Using longitudinally linked data from the New Jersey Electronic Birth Certificate (EBC) from 1996 to 2001, we found considerable fluidity in breastfeeding status at hospital discharge for births to the same mother. Among mothers who breastfed exclusively after the first birth, only 69% did so after the second (we refer to this as recurrence). Among mothers who exclusively formula fed after the first birth, 16% initiated exclusive breastfeeding after the second birth (referred to as recruitment). Combination feeding the first born, i.e., breastfeeding supplemented by formula, was followed by exclusive breastfeeding for 38% of second births. Rates of recurrence and recruitment differed in distinct ways by race/ethnicity and immigrant status. We conclude that breastfeeding initiation is not necessarily or exclusively a matter of fixed preferences, and that opportunities exist to expand breastfeeding to realize national goals by enhancing both recurrence and recruitment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

WIC:

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

EBC:

Electronic Birth Certificate.

REFERENCES

  1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2005;115(2):496–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS blueprint for action on breastfeeding. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Women's Health; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  3. World Health Organization. Protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding: The special role of maternity services. A joint WHO/UNICEF statement. Geneva, WHO, 1989.

  4. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Breastfeeding: Maternal and infant aspects. ACOG Educational Bulletin No. 258. Washington, DC: ACOG, July 2000.

  5. American Academy of Family Physicians. Breastfeeding and infant nutrition, 1994. 1998–1999 AAFP Reference Manual. Washington, DC: American Academy of Family Physicians, 1994, p. 51. http://www.aafp.org/policy/75.html.

  6. O’Campo P, Faden RR, Gielen AC, Wang MC. Prenatal factors associated with breastfeeding duration: Recommendations for prenatal interventions. Birth. 1992;19(4):195–201.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kloeblen AS, Thompson NJ, Miner KR. Predicting breast-feeding intention among low-income pregnant women: A comparison of two theoretical models. Health Educ Behav 1999;26(5):675–88.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Philipp BL, Merewood A, Miller LW, Chawla N, Murphy-Smith MM, Gomes JS, Cimo S, Cook JT. Baby-friendly hospital initiative improves breastfeeding initiation rates in a US hospital setting. Pediatrics 2001;108(3):677–81.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Philipp BL, Malone KL, Cimo S, Merewood A. Sustained breastfeeding rates at a US baby-friendly hospital. Pediatrics 2003;112(3 Pt 1):e234–e36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kruse LK, Denk CE, Feldman-Winter L, Rotondo FM. Comparing sociodemographic and hospital influences on breastfeeding initiation. Births 2005;32(2):81–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Donath SM, Amir LH. ALSPAC Study Team. Relationship between prenatal infant feeding intention and initiation and duration of breastfeeding: A cohort study. Acta Paediatr 2003;92(3):352–56.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Chezem JC, Friesen C, Boettcher J. Breastfeeding knowledge, breastfeeding confidence, and infant feeding plans: Effects on actual feeding practices. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2003;32(1):40–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Taveras EM, Capra AM, Braveman PA, Jensvold NG, Escobar GJ, Lieu TA. Clinician support and psychosocial risk factors associated with breastfeeding discontinuation. Pediatrics 2003;112(1):108–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Sharps PW, El-Mohandes AE, El-Khorazaty MN, Kiely M, Walker T. Health beliefs and parenting attitudes influence breastfeeding patterns among low-income African–American women. J Perinatol 2003;23:414–19.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Howard CR, Howard FM, Lanphear B, Eberly S, deBlieck EA, Oakes D, Lawrence RA. Randomized clinical trial of pacifier use and bottle-feeding or cupfeeding and their effect on breastfeeding. Pediatrics. 2003;111(3):511–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Feldman-Winter L, Kruse L, Mulford C, Rotondo F. Breastfeeding initiation rates derived from electronic birth certificate data in New Jersey. J Human Lact. 2002;18(4);373–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ryan AS, Wenjun Z, Acosta A. Breastfeeding continues to increase into the new millennium. Pediatrics. 2002;110:1103–09.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. MatchWare Technologies, Inc. AUTOMATCH: Generalized Record Linkage System, Version 4.2. Kennebunkport, ME. 1998.

  19. Tuma NB, Hannan MT. Social dynamics. Orlando: Academic Press, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  20. SAS Software for Analysis of Statistical Data: User's Manuel, Release 7.0. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute; 1996.

  21. Pugh LC, Milligan RA, Frick KD, Spatz D, Bronner Y. Breastfeeding duration, costs, and benefits of a support program for low-income breastfeeding women. Birth 2002;29(2):95–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Porteous R, Kaufman K, Rush J. The effect of individualized professional support on duration of breastfeeding: A randomized controlled trial. J Hum Lact 2000;16(4):303–08.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Dennis C-L, Hodnett E, Gallop R, Chalmers B. The effect of peer support on breast-feeding duration among primiparous women: A randomized controlled trial. Canadian Med Assoc J 2002;166(1):21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Bronner Y, Barber T, Vogelhut J, Resnik AK. Breastfeeding peer counseling: Results from the National WIC Survey. J Hum Lact 2001;17(2):119–25.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Guise J-M, Palda V, Westhoff C, Chan BKS, Helfand M, Lieu TA. The effectiveness of primary care-based interventions to promote breastfeeding: Systematic evidence review and meta-analysis for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Fam Med 2003;1(2):70–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. US Preventive Services Task Force. Behavioral interventions to promote breastfeeding: Recommendations and Rationale from the USPSTF. Ann Fam Med 2003;1(2):1–5. http://www.annfammed.org

    Google Scholar 

  27. Feldman-Winter L, Rotondo FM, Denk CE, Kruse LK. Breastfeeding in New Jersey, 2002. PRAMS Brief. 2004; http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/wic.html

  28. Merewood A, Heinig J. Efforts to promote breastfeeding in the United States: Development of a national breastfeeding awareness campaign. J Hum Lact 2004;20(2):140–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Family Health Services, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Trenton, New Jersey, USA

    Lakota Kruse MD, MPH, Charles E. Denk PhD & Florence Mojta Rotondo IBCLC

  2. Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Regional Hospital, Cooper-University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey, USA

    Lori Feldman-Winter MD, MPH, IBCLC, FAAP, FABM

  3. Medical Director, Division of Family Health Services, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Trenton, New Jersey, 08625-0364, USA

    Lakota Kruse MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Lakota Kruse MD, MPH
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charles E. Denk PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lori Feldman-Winter MD, MPH, IBCLC, FAAP, FABM
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Florence Mojta Rotondo IBCLC
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lakota Kruse MD, MPH.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kruse, L., Denk, C.E., Feldman-Winter, L. et al. Longitudinal Patterns of Breastfeeding Initiation. Matern Child Health J 10, 13–18 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-005-0027-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-005-0027-1

KEY WORDS:

Search

Navigation