Psychosomatic factors in the choice of infant feeding — a pilot study

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to examine factors which are associated with choice of infant feeding, particularly those of a psychosomatic nature. Of the 63 primiparous women who took part in the study, 85% chose to breast feed at 3-5 days post partum and 78% were continuing to breast feed in the fourth week post partum; 2 had been advised to discontinue for medical reasons. The results confirmed other studies which show breast feeding to be significantly more likely to be chosen by women who attend antenatal classes, are better educated, privately insured, of a higher socio-economic status, have themselves (and their husbands) been breast fed, have decided on the method of infant feeding before or in early pregnancy, prefer full rooming in with their babies and demand feeding.Additional psychological and psychosomatic factors emerged in the fourth week post partum. Women who bottle fed were more likely to have higher scores on measures of neuroticism, psychoticism as measured by the Eysenck Personality...