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What’s New in Breastfeeding？
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What’s New in Breastfeeding？

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 June 2025 | Viewed by 3631

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Patricia Markham Risica

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Behavioral and Social Science, Brown School of Public Health, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Interests: nutrition; obesity; pregnancy; breastfeeding; smoking cessation; smoke avoidance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Breastfeeding is the recommended and most healthy form of infant feeding, which in many cases ensures the health and survival of children. Breastfeeding provides nutrients for healthy growth and antibodies, which help prevent many common childhood diseases. Breast milk also offers many long-term benefits, such as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and childhood cancers, as well as decreasing the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer. Many psychosocial, environmental, and societal factors affect breastfeeding, which are often the target of successful interventions to improve breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and delayed cessation.

Our Special Issue aims to discuss all the effects of breastfeeding on the nutrition and health of mothers and children and the effects of nutrition and dietary intake on breastfeeding. Additionally, we will explore community, clinical, and policy interventions to increase breastfeeding success and look forward to the latest research innovations and findings being discussed here. We invite interested researchers to submit original research and review articles relating to this topic. Papers that combine a high academic level and practical focus are particularly welcome.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Patricia Markham Risica
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • breastfeeding
  • lactation
  • maternal nutrition
  • nutritional epidemiology
  • human milk
  • pediatric nutrition
  • breastfeeding interventions

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 214 KiB  
Article
Prenatal Breastfeeding Education with or without Hand Expressing Human Milk and Breastfeeding Duration in a Rural Population
by Farjana Zaman, Shannon Morgan, Cheryl Scalora, Marcia Nelson and Jimi Francis
Nutrients 2024, 16(19), 3303; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16193303 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1019
Abstract
Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are well recognized. However, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates are well below the Healthy People 2030 Guidelines, with a rapid drop in exclusive breastfeeding over the first 3 months of life. Although breastfeeding support has increased the initiation of [...] Read more.
Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are well recognized. However, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates are well below the Healthy People 2030 Guidelines, with a rapid drop in exclusive breastfeeding over the first 3 months of life. Although breastfeeding support has increased the initiation of breastfeeding, the role of perinatal interventions, particularly in the context of breastfeeding support, remains a topic of contradiction. Methods: This observational study was designed to assess the impact of a unique prenatal educational intervention in rural East Texas. The study had two aims: (1) to determine whether the addition of prenatal breastfeeding education increased the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at four time points, and (2) to assess the impact of hand expression education on breastfeeding exclusivity. Results: Differences in breastfeeding behaviors were seen between those who received the education and those who did not for exclusivity and duration of breastfeeding. Participants who received the hand expression education were 1.79 times more likely to continue EBF practices at three months postpartum, 6.27 times more likely to continue EBF practices at six months postpartum, and 3.34 times more likely to continue breastfeeding at twelve months postpartum than those who did not receive any hand expression education. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that prenatal education is beneficial for increasing breastfeeding exclusivity and duration and underscores its potential to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Further research is needed to resolve the ongoing debate and advance our understanding of interventions to increase breastfeeding duration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue What’s New in Breastfeeding？)
10 pages, 615 KiB  
Article
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Window into Breastfeeding Outcomes in Varied Healthcare Systems
by Jimi Francis, Elizabeth Gelner and Darby Dickton
Nutrients 2024, 16(19), 3239; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16193239 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 751
Abstract
Varied hospital systems demonstrate diverse and often very different approaches to patient care. This may best be analyzed by looking at specific disorders and outcomes in a population with these disorders. As one such lens, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) continue to pose [...] Read more.
Varied hospital systems demonstrate diverse and often very different approaches to patient care. This may best be analyzed by looking at specific disorders and outcomes in a population with these disorders. As one such lens, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs) continue to pose a severe health risk for mothers and infants, and breastfeeding outcomes play a crucial role in determining long-term maternal and fetal health. This pilot study investigated breastfeeding outcomes in two hospitals, as representatives for differing healthcare systems, among patients diagnosed with HDPs. Data were collected for 12 months at two hospitals, one private and one military, on 729 patients diagnosed with HDPs. Data were analyzed for infant maturity at birth and breastfeeding outcomes. Most participants (83.2%) stated their intention to breastfeed for the first six months of life. By hospital discharge, only 56% (p = 0.0001) of the private hospital participants were breastfeeding compared to 65% of the military hospital participants. In addition, while 69% of infants were born before term, more infants were born before term at the private hospital (71%) than at the military hospital (65%), with 37% (private) and 42% (military) of preterm infants breastfeeding at hospital discharge. Significant differences existed between these two hospital systems in the number of those initiating breastfeeding and breastfeeding at hospital discharge. The military hospital was more successful in assisting these high-risk women in meeting their breastfeeding intentions. Changes in hospital practices, such as metrics and incentivization, focusing on breastfeeding support, could improve the rate of breastfeeding at hospital discharge and impact long-term health outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue What’s New in Breastfeeding？)
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18 pages, 943 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Breastfeeding on Childhood Behavioral and Emotional Development: A Prospective Cohort Study in China
by Ying Meng, Hongzhao Yu, Mingxuan Zhang, Hongtian Li, Yubo Zhou and Jianmeng Liu
Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1743; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111743 - 2 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1341
Abstract
Background: Breastfeeding could improve a child’s health early on, but its long-term effects on childhood behavioral and emotional development remain inconclusive. We aimed to estimate the associations of feeding practice with childhood behavioral and emotional development. Methods: In this population-based birth cohort study, [...] Read more.
Background: Breastfeeding could improve a child’s health early on, but its long-term effects on childhood behavioral and emotional development remain inconclusive. We aimed to estimate the associations of feeding practice with childhood behavioral and emotional development. Methods: In this population-based birth cohort study, data on feeding patterns for the first 6 mo of life, the duration of breastfeeding, and children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes were prospectively collected from 2489 mother–child dyads. Feeding patterns for the first 6 mo included exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and non-exclusive breastfeeding (non-EBF, including mixed feeding or formula feeding), and the duration of breastfeeding (EBF or mixed feeding) was categorized into ≤6 mo, 7–12 mo, 13–18 mo, and >18 mo. Externalizing problems and internalizing problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and operationalized according to recommended clinical cutoffs, corresponding to T scores ≥64. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association of feeding practice with CBCL outcomes. Results: The median (interquartile range) age of children at the outcome measurement was 32.0 (17.0) mo. Compared with non-EBF for the first 6 mo, EBF was associated with a lower T score of internalizing problems [adjusted mean difference (aMD): −1.31; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): −2.53, −0.10], and it was marginally associated with T scores of externalizing problems (aMD: −0.88; 95% CI: −1.92, 0.15). When dichotomized, EBF versus non-EBF was associated with a lower risk of externalizing problems (aOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.87), and it was marginally associated with internalizing problems (aOR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.54, 1.06). Regarding the duration of breastfeeding, breastfeeding for 13–18 mo versus ≤6 mo was associated with lower T scores of internalizing problems (aMD: −2.50; 95% CI: −4.43, −0.56) and externalizing problems (aMD: −2.75; 95% CI: −4.40, −1.10), and breastfeeding for >18 mo versus ≤6 mo was associated with lower T scores of externalizing problems (aMD: −1.88; 95% CI: −3.68, −0.08). When dichotomized, breastfeeding for periods of 7–12 mo, 13–18 mo, and >18 mo was associated with lower risks of externalizing problems [aOR (95% CI): 0.96 (0.92, 0.99), 0.94 (0.91, 0.98), 0.96 (0.92, 0.99), respectively]. Conclusions: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 mo and a longer duration of breastfeeding, exclusively or partially, are beneficial for childhood behavioral and emotional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue What’s New in Breastfeeding？)
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