Sucking behavior at breast during the early newborn period affects later breast-feeding rate and duration of breast-feeding

• Published in: Pediatrics international Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 15 - 20
• Main Authors: Mizuno, Katsumi, Fujimaki, Koichiro, Sawada, Madoka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Pty 01-02-2004
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Breast Feeding; Female; Health Education; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Japan; Mothers; nipple confusion; Retrospective Studies; Sucking Behavior; Japan
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-200X.2004.01834.x

Background
: One of the objectives of health‐workers is to help increase the rate and duration of breast‐feeding. It could become a helpful tool if babies sucking behavior at breast in the early neonatal period could predict babies at risk of short‐term breast‐feeding. The aims of this study are: to determine the prevalence of a range of sucking behaviors at breast in the early neonatal period in Japan; to determine if sucking behavior in the early neonatal period affects the later breast‐feeding rate; and to clarify reasons for ceasing breast‐feeding for each sucking behavior.
Methods
: A total of 1582 mothers of infants aged 6−12 months were surveyed. The questionnaire asked mothers their interpretation from memory of the sucking behavior of their infants in the early neonatal period. Mothers were asked to choose one out of five defined types (barracudas, excited ineffectives, procrastinators, gourmets and resters) and others. The study also included questions about the type of feeding (i.e. full, partial). Finally mothers were questioned about the time of and reasons for ceasing breast‐feeding.
Results
: Sufficient responses to the questionnaires were given by 1474 mothers (93.2%). The remainder of mothers questioned (108, 6.8%) did not provide appropriate answers. The babies whose mothers selected ‘Barracudas’ as the sucking behavior which best described their babies breast‐feeding showed the largest number of full breast‐feeding. These babies also displayed the highest breast‐feeding rate all the time. The ‘Procrastinators’ type showed the lowest overall rate of breast‐feeding. The Chi‐square test revealed that sucking behavior in the early neonatal period affects the breast‐feeding rate at 3 and 6 months of age (P < 0.001). The reasons for ceasing breast‐feeding observed in all subtypes were perceived shortage of milk volume and elder children's anger and jealousy.
Conclusion
: Based on the sucking behavior at breast in the early neonatal period, it is possible to predict babies at risk for short‐term breast‐feeding.