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1.2 What information to give

Key Points - Case Study A

Joanne, aged 32, a regular patient, comes to see you when she is 12 weeks pregnant with her first baby. She has just returned from a trip around Australia and her pregnancy was confirmed by a doctor in the town they were in at the time. She has copies of her baseline blood tests with her and all are normal.

Would you discuss breastfeeding at this visit?

Topic 1.1: Discussing breastfeeding
It is important that doctors discuss infant feeding decisions and breastfeeding with women early in a pregnancy rather than waiting until the third trimester or after the baby is born.

What information would you give?

Topic 1.2: What information to give
When discussing infant feeding with mothers it is important to note that alternatives to breastfeeding have many undesirable outcomes.

What information would you give?

Ask whether she has thought about how she will feed her baby, and her views about breastfeeding. Most women say they will "breastfeed if they can" or think they should breastfeed but feel uncertain and anxious. They may see breastfeeding as a superior product, with formula feeding being seen as an adequate and valid alternative method of infant feeding1 with little understanding of the differences between the two.

Disadvantages of Breast Milk Substitutes

When discussing infant feeding with mothers it is important to note that alternatives to breastfeeding:

(Please click on any point for further details.)

Odds ratio of disease incidence with breast or formula-feeding

Odds ratio of disease incidence with breast or formula-feeding

Notes

  1. # Wiessinger D (2004) Watch your language
  2. # Cattaneo A et al. (2006) Infant feeding and cost of health care: a cohort study
  3. # Smith JP et al. (2002) Hospital system costs of artificial infant feeding: estimates for the Australian Capital Territory
  4. # Weimer J (2001) The Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Review and Analysis
  5. # Walker M (1993) A fresh look at the risks of artificial infant feeding
  6. # Giovannini M et al. (2008) Enterobacter sakazakii: an emerging problem in paediatric nutrition.
  7. # Kennell JH et al. (1998) Bonding: Recent observations that alter perinatal care
  8. # Klaus MH (1998) Mother and infant: Early emotional ties
  9. # Lawson M (2007) Contemporary aspects of infant feeding
  10. # Ip S et al. (2007) Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries
  11. # Horta B et al. (2007) Evidence on the long-term effects of breastfeeding
  12. # Lubianca Neto JF et al. (2006) Systematic literature review of modifiable risk factors for recurrent acute otitis media in childhood
  13. # Chantry CJ et al. (2006) Full breastfeeding duration and associated decrease in respiratory tract infection in US children
  14. # Quigley MA et al. (2007) Breastfeeding and hospitalization for diarrheal and respiratory infection in the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study
  15. # Pesonen M et al. (2006) Prolonged exclusive breastfeeding is associated with increased atopic dermatitis: a prospective follow-up study of unselected healthy newborns from birth to age 20 years
  16. # Greer FR et al. (2008) Effects of early nutritional interventions on the development of atopic disease in infants and children: the role of maternal dietary restriction, breastfeeding, timing of introduction of complementary foods, and hydrolyzed formulas
  17. # Rosenbauer J et al. (2007) Early nutrition and risk of Type 1 diabetes mellitus - a nationwide case-control study in preschool children.
  18. # Owen CG et al. ( 2006) Does breastfeeding influence risk of type 2 diabetes in later life? A quantitative analysis of published evidence
  19. # Kwan ML et al. (2004) Breastfeeding and the risk of childhood leukemia: a meta-analysis
  20. # Ortega-Garcia JA et al. (2008) Full breastfeeding and paediatric cancer
  21. # Harder T et al. (2005) Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight: a meta-analysis
  22. # Akobeng AK et al. (2006) Effect of breast feeding on risk of coeliac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
  23. # Chen A et al. (2004) Breastfeeding and the risk of postnatal death in the United States
  24. # Der G et al. (2006) Effect of breast feeding on intelligence in children: prospective study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis
  25. # Caspi A et al. (2007) Moderation of breastfeeding effects on the IQ by genetic variation in fatty acid metabolism
  26. # Stuebe AM et al. (2005) Duration of lactation and incidence of type 2 diabetes
  27. # Hanson LA (2004) Protective effects of breastfeeding against urinary tract infection