birth, breastfeeding

It is well recognized that human milk is the optimal nutritive source for all infants, including those requiring intensive care. This statement reviews evidence supporting the importance of breastfeeding and human milk for infants, and why breastfeeding practices should be prioritized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It also reviews how to optimally feed infants based on their stability and maturity, and how to support mothers to establish and maintain milk production when their infants are unable to feed at the breast...

INTRODUCTION: Positive maternal mental health is associated with improved outcomes for infants, and yet the consideration of maternal mental health is often neglected in breastfeeding interventions. Breastfeeding interventions typically focus on breastfeeding promotion, and do not always include supports for the mother. This may result in isolated perceived pressure to breastfeed, the mental health impacts of which are not well understood. METHODS: This mixed-methods, longitudinal study examined whether perceived pressure to breastfeed was associated with depression, suicide ideation, anxiety, birth trauma and stress concurrently and 4 weeks later for postpartum mothers...

Extensive research has shown that breastfeeding offers many benefits to children, including advantages in lifelong health, physical development, cognitive function, behavior, and brain development, compared to those not breastfed. In the Dominican Republic, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants aged 0-6 months remains low, and the lack of a surveillance system has made it challenging to measure the impact of breastfeeding on early childhood development (ECD). This study aims to address the effect of ever breastfeeding on ECD...

Background: Neonatal Intuitive Feeding Technology (NIFTY) cup feeding has been found to be feasible in preterm low-birth-weight babies. However, literature on direct comparison of the same with paladai feeding is lacking. Methods: In this open-labeled, randomized controlled trial, preterm infants (<34 weeks/<1800 g) on full oral gastric tube feeding for at least 3 consecutive days, eligible to be given a trial of suck and swallow cup feeding, prior to initiation of direct breastfeeding, were randomized to the two feeding intervention groups: paladai cup and Nifty cup...

Introduction The adverse effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on maternal and reproductive health extend beyond the immediate morbidity and mortality attributed directly to the disease. Pandemic-induced disruptions in the healthcare, social and economic infrastructures can exacerbate the already high burden of childhood undernutrition in India. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in a selected district of the central Indian province of Madhya Pradesh. Data was collected from eligible children born during the COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020 to December 2021) who visited a selected tertiary care hospital for routine immunization during the study period...

BACKGROUND: The "Adequate Childbirth Program" (PPA) is a quality improvement project that aims to reduce the high rates of unnecessary cesarean section in Brazilian private hospitals. This study aimed to analyze labor and childbirth care practices after the first phase of PPA implementation. METHOD: This study uses a qualitative approach. Eight hospitals were selected. At each hospital, during the period of 5 (five) days, from July to October 2017, the research team conducted face to face interviews with doctors (n = 21) and nurses (n = 28), using semi-structured scripts...

Background: Mother's own milk (MOM) provides health benefits for infants with very low birth weight (VLBW). This study aimed to describe the incidence and factors associated with low volumes of MOM (<50% of total diet volume) at discharge for VLBW infants. Methods: A prospective cohort study of infants with VLBW and gestational age of <30 weeks, who survived to discharge and had no contraindication to MOM. We conducted bivariate analyses to investigate associations with the volume of MOM at discharge, using chi-square, t , and Mann-Whitney tests...

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic exposure increases antimicrobial resistance and has also been associated with long-term harms, including allergies, inflammatory diseases and weight gain. We assessed antibiotic exposure in the first 2 years of life in Australian children, the factors influencing this and its appropriateness. METHODS: Data from 1201 participants in the MIS BAIR randomized controlled trial were used. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with antibiotic exposure...

BACKGROUND: Establishing successful lactation in mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500g) infants requires structured lactation support. Little is known about mothers' perspectives on lactation support in German neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). METHODS: This paper features a convergent mixed-method approach that includes a retrospective, cross-sectional questionnaire and interview data to showcase mothers' perceptions of lactation support in NICUs...

INTRODUCTION: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening condition that afflicts neonates. Breastfeeding has demonstrated to play a protective role against it. By administering lipopolysaccharides (LPS) orally in newborn rats (NBR), we have developed an experimental model to induce NEC-like gut damage. Our aim was to assess the macroscopic and microscopic appearance of the gut, to evaluate the presence of NEC and study the role of breast milk (BM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: NBR were divided into 3 groups: Group A (control, n= 10) remained with the mother, group B (LPS, n= 25) was isolated after birth, gavage-fed with special rat formula and oral LPS, then submitted to stress (hypoxia after gavage) and group c (BM, n= 12) was breastfed once after birth, then isolated, and submitted to stress like group B...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The infant diet represents one of the main modifiable determinants of early growth. This study aimed to investigate the associations of infant feeding practices with body mass index (BMI) until 7.5 years. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Analyses were based on data from the French nationwide ELFE birth cohort. Data on breastfeeding (BF) and complementary feeding (CF) were collected monthly from 2 to 10 months. Infant feeding practices were characterized using principal component analyses (PCA) and hierarchical ascendant classification...

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to analyze the pregnancy period, perinatal period, and infancy period risk factors for IBD in a well-characterized birth cohort from Northern Finland. METHODS: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) population comprises mothers living in the two northernmost provinces of Finland, Oulu, and Lapland, with dates of delivery between Jan 1st and Dec 31st, 1966 (12 055 mothers, 12 058 live-born children, 96...

OBJECTIVES: At our center, natural home-like delivery settings have been established in or near conventional labor wards, for the care of pregnant women who prefer little or no medical intervention during labor and birth. We compared obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of women in active spontaneous labor, between those who chose to deliver in a natural-delivery setup and those who chose a conventional setting. METHODS: This retrospective study included low-risk women who delivered at term between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022, in a single tertiary university affiliated medical center...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to multiple risk factors is prevalent in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), challenging one-directional strategies to address preventable under-5 mortality (U5M). This study aims to assess the associations between concurrence of multiple risk factors and U5M in LMICs. METHODS: We extracted data from the Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2010 and 2021 across 61 LMICs. Our primary outcome was U5M, defined as deaths from birth to 59 months...

The aim of this study is to investigate the adverse effects of benzophenones (BPs) on the intestinal tract of mice and the potential mechanism. F1-generation ICR mice were exposed to BPs (benzophenone-1, benzophenone-2, and benzophenone-3) by breastfeeding from birth until weaning, and by drinking water after weaning until maturity. The offspring mice were executed on postnatal day 56, then their distal colons were sampled. AB-PAS staining, HE staining, immunofluorescence, Transmission Electron Microscope, immunohistochemistry, western blot and RT-qPCR were used to study the effects of BPs exposure on the colonic tissues of offspring mice...

PURPOSE: The effects of episiotomy and second-degree tears on postpartum sexual function are key areas of enquiry in women's health research. Episiotomy and second-degree tears are common procedures and injuries that occur during childbirth. Understanding their impact on post-childbirth sexuality is crucial to women's overall well-being. This study aimed to examine the relationship between episiotomy, second-degree tears, and post childbirth sexuality. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed, including 83 women who gave birth to Cáceres in 2017...

BACKGROUND: The effect of the amount of transient cow's milk formula (CMF) consumed during the first days of life on IgE-cow's milk allergy (IgE-CMA) is unknown. METHODS: A cohort of 58 patients with IgE-CMA was identified from a large scale population-based study of 13,019 infants followed from birth. A group of 116 infants matched for sex and breastfeeding only duration (beyond the nursery period), and another random group of 259 healthy infants were used as controls...

PURPOSE: To review the childhood risk factors for pediatric cancer (diagnosis before age 20). METHODS: We conducted literature searches using Ovid Medline and Scopus to find primary research studies, review articles, and meta-analyses published from 2014 to 3 March 2021. RESULTS: Strong evidence indicates that an array of genetic and epigenetic phenomena, structural birth defects, and chromosomal anomalies are associated with an increased risk of various childhood cancers...

Background: In recent decades, the incidence of depression has gradually increased in the general population globally. Depression is also common during gestation and could result in detrimental gestational complications for both the mother and the fetus. The survey presented aimed to evaluate whether pregnant women's perinatal depression could be associated with socio-demographic, anthropometry and lifestyle factors, and perinatal and postnatal outcomes. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on 5314 pregnant women...

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund recommend exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of an infant's life. Although evidence suggests that maintaining breastfeeding has positive impacts on glucose and lipid metabolism in postpartum women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), no study has investigated whether such effects differ between breastfeeding intensities. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of maintaining breastfeeding on prediabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and metabolic syndrome (MetS) six months postpartum in women with GDM...