How often are others participating in infant‐feeding? An exploratory analysis of secondary objectives of the Baby‐Mine study

Abstract

Desire to share the infant‐feeding task is commonly offered as reason for lack of breastfeeding initiation, duration and/or exclusivity. Describing who is primarily responsible for preparation of infant formula was a secondary objective of a larger, longitudinal study assessing impact of bottle contents on rate of infant weight gain. Mothers of healthy, term, formula‐fed infants (< 3 months), were recruited via fliers, web ads, and a birth registry. At two time points, mothers recorded infant intake for 48 hours, including who prepared each bottle. Preliminary analysis of 31 mothers with complete data at both time point 1 (TP1: infants ~ 2.4 mo) and time point 2 (TP2: infants ~4.1 mo) indicate that, though others (e.g., fathers, extended family members, and childcare personnel) were involved with preparation, mothers remained primarily responsible for this preparation. Mothers prepared 87.4% of bottles at TP1, increasing to 89.7% at TP2, with father involvement in preparation declining over time, from 8% (TP1) to 5.7% (TP2). This preliminary analysis triggered the addition, to the TP2 interview, of exploratory, open‐ended questions regarding expectations of infant‐feeding support (both prior to and after birth). Results of this qualitative exploration will be presented and contrasted with actual infant‐feeding support, possibly suggesting future areas of inquiry among formula‐feeding mothers.Grant Funding Source: USDA/NIFA/AFRI Award‐2010‐85215‐20663