Neonate-Mother Interaction: Effects of Parity on Feeding Behavior

Abstract

THOMAN, EVELYN B.; TURNER, ANN M.; LEIDERMAN, P. HERBERT; and BARNETT, CLIFFORD R. Neonate-Mother Interaction: Effects on Feeding Behavior. CHmD DEVELOPMENT, 1970, 41, 1103-1111. A procedure was developed for the study of feeding patterns of mothers with their newborn infants. By means of an automated recording system, time measures of components of bottle feedings were obtained without the presence of an observer. The measures clearly discriminated the feeding behaviors of primiparous and multiparous mothers with their 2-day-old infants. Total observation times, including feeding and nonfeeding activities were significantly longer for the primiparous pairs. The feeding portion of the observations was also longer for the primiparas. Although these mothers were more persistent in their feeding endeavors, they were also less effective in their efforts, as indicated by a lower total consumption of formula by their infants and by a lower rate of formula intake. The findings were related to studies of parity effects on the newborn and research on birth-order effects on older children.