View clinical trials related to Breastfeeding.
Filter by:Child undernutrition remains a highly prevalent condition in low and middle income countries and a major portion of the global burden of childhood malnutrition is found in South Asia with an estimated 74 million children living with chronic malnutrition (stunted growth) in this region. This burden of malnutrition accounts for approximately 50% of under five child deaths in developing countries. The risk of child death is also related to the severity of malnutrition and progressively increases the more the child's growth deviates from WHO Growth Standard, e.g. children with height-for-age <-3 Z scores from the standard have a four fold increased mortality risk compared to children within one Z score of the growth standard mean. Underweight in children for 18.7% of the global disability-adjusted life years in children less than five years of age. Childhood malnutrition is a pervasive problem in Bangladesh with 43% of children less than five years stunted in 2004 and 38% in urban child populations. An establish approach to promoting appropriate breastfeeding practices is through the use of local peer counsellors to provide information and to support to mothers. A recent study has conducted on pioneering research on this approach in Bangladesh.. The main aim of the study is to use a Cluster Randomized Control Trial (CRCT) to collect high-level evidence of whether peer counselling of women to promote appropriate breastfeeding and complementary feeding can improve feeding practices, child growth and reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in their children. The investigators will use a community-based Cluster Randomized Control Trial (CRCT) to examine the impact of a peer counselling infant feeding education program starting in the third trimester of pregnancy to one year after delivery, to improve child feeding practices, child growth and reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in their children. This will result in two study groups. The outcome assessments will be made on a cohort of infant-mother dyads measured at baseline and at follow up visits because the investigators expect a likely high correlation between baseline and follow up outcome measures, thus making this approach the most efficient study design. Outcome assessments will be conducted with all the mother-infant pairs recruited in the community clusters in the study, with an expected total of 1950 mother-infant days (975 in each treatment group). The peer counseling education will be offered to eligible pregnant women identified by household surveys over 3 months in each community cluster in the intervention group. Using a similar approach to recruitment, a cohort of mother-infant dyads, who will receive standard maternal and child health care programs, will be identified in the control clusters. Data will be collected on anthropometry, feeding practices and hygiene and caring practices etc. The investigators will report the results for 2-sided 5% tests for the primary trial outcome. Secondary analyses will examine each outcome variable (stunting, height-for-age, feeding patterns, and mean nutrient intakes) taking account of the repeated measurements within children by using separate mixed models. The investigators will use linear mixed models for continuous outcomes (e.g. height-for-age Z) and generalized linear mixed models for non-continuous outcomes (e.g. logistic mixed models for binary outcomes e.g. percentage exclusively breastfeeding). It is expected that the publications from this research will have substantial impact on child health and will help with the development of public health nutrition policies for children in South Asia and will be widely cited.
Breast for Success is a new direct service program focused on overcoming barriers to breastfeeding for low-income inner-city mothers by use of a culturally competent and home-based educational and support intervention. Key project components include a new Enhanced Breastfeeding Curriculum with brief engaging health literacy focused modules, and two innovative support plans, the Breastfeeding Doula and Father Support Programs. The objective is to increase breastfeeding rates for high-risk inner-city mothers. Research Questions to evaluate project feasibility and effectiveness are: 1. Were all aspects of the Curriculum and Doula and Father Support Programs implemented? 2. Is there an increase in the rate of any breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum for all mothers? 3. Is there a difference in the rate of any breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum between interventions (Curriculum only, Curriculum+Doula Support, Curriculum+Father Support)? 4. What are exclusive breastfeeding rates at 1, 3 and 6 months for all mothers?
Presently, the literature addressing the relationship between epidural analgesia and likelihood of breast-feeding is inconclusive. Numerous studies have found that epidurals, administered prior to vaginal delivery of a full-term, healthy neonate, significantly decrease lactation success at follow-up times ranging from 24 hours to 6 months postpartum. One proposed mechanism is that analgesics, by decreasing maternal pain during labor, decrease maternal endorphin production and result in the transmission of lower endorphin levels to the neonate during breast-feeding. Lower endorphin levels, in turn, may render the neonate less likely to suckle optimally. Other studies have found that epidural analgesia does not significantly decrease lactation success when used during the vaginal delivery of a full-term, healthy neonate. Although most studies to date have compared the breast-feeding success of epidural recipients and non-recipients at various points postpartum, they do not specifically note whether deficient feeding behaviors on the part of the infant contribute to failed breast-feeding. The present study uses the LATCH assessment tool to score the infant's ability to latch onto the breast and the presence of audible swallowing, as well as the mother's level of physical comfort with breast feeding, whether she can successfully position the infant for feeding on her own, and whether her nipples are inverted, everted, or flat. Thus, the LATCH assessment enables the separation of multiple factors that may contribute to breast-feeding failure. A multivariate regression analysis will determine how strongly the probability of breast-feeding at hospital discharge correlates with epidural duration, LATCH scores, and beta-endorphin concentrations in colostrum.
In humans, docosahexanoic acid (DHA) is concentrated in brain. After birth, DHA is obtained from breast milk or the child's diet. The investigators are studying whether DHA intakes in young children are adequate to support brain development. This is a cross-sectional study of children 5-6 years-old.
A previous randomized trial showed a possible negative association with labor neuraxial analgesia with high compared to low doses of fentanyl, and breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum. The significance of this study would be to validate or refute these findings. In addition, we hope to better evaluate the impact of cumulative dose of fentanyl on breastfeeding success in the initial postpartum period as well as at 6 weeks and 6 months post delivery. In order to better assess the quality of breastfeeding, we will utilize a validated breastfeeding assessment tool, LATCH (Latch, Audible swallowing, Type of Nipple, Comfort, and Help). This validated tool can assess maternal and infant variables, define areas of needed intervention, and determine priorities in providing patient teaching. The LATCH assessment has been shown to be a predictor of breastfeeding duration. We also plan to vary the dosage of fentanyl analgesia to determine the relationship between doses below 150 micrograms and changes in breastfeeding assessments. If a clear association between decreased breastfeeding and total fentanyl is identified, then regimens to reduce cumulative doses of fentanyl can be developed to improve the likelihood of breastfeeding success in mothers that desire to breastfeed. Prior observational studies have inferred epidurals negatively affect breastfeeding by decreasing maternal plasma oxytocin release which may adversely affect infant neurobehavioral development. In a study by Beilin et al., it was reported that mothers receiving a high cumulative dose (> 150 microgram) epidural fentanyl were more likely to have stopped nursing 6 weeks postpartum compared with groups receiving no fentanyl or those receiving < 150 microgram. The study however, was underpowered to detect differences in breastfeeding prior to hospital discharge. In addition, the breastfeeding assessment tool utilized resulted in binary assessments, and therefore, a global rating of the quality of breastfeeding was not available.
The purpose of this study is to compare female, preschool-aged children breastfed during infancy to female, preschool-aged children bottle-fed during infancy in their ability to adjust calorie intake in response to internal signals of hunger and fullness. Children and a parent will come to two sessions, with the children given drinks that are either high or low in energy, and then consume a lunch following the drink. The parent will be present during the lunch. Greater ability to self-regulate intake is demonstrated when less energy is consumed at lunch following the high energy drink as compared to the lunch following the low energy drink. Lunches will be videotaped so that parental feeding styles (i.e., how the parent interacted with the child during lunch) can be examined. The primary hypotheses are: 1.) the exclusively breastfed children will have higher self-regulation ability than the exclusively bottle-fed children, and 2.) the mothers of the exclusively breastfed children will demonstrate a parental feeding style characterized by less control and restriction than the mothers (or parent primarily responsible for child feeding) of the exclusively bottle-fed children.
Upper lingual frenulum have been implicated as a cause for pain during breastfeeding and latch problems. The investigators hypothesize that performing frenotomy of the frenulum may improve breastfeeding. The investigators will include breastfeeding infants with pain or latch problems in whom the lingual frenulum had been treated but breastfeeding problems were not resolved. The investigators plan to study the effect of frenotomy of the upper lingual frenulum on maternal pain (using pain score by visual analog scale) and/or latch score.
Breastfeeding decreases the risk of many infantile infectious diseases and certain types of cancers in women. It strengthens the bond between mothers and babies and decreases the health care cost to society by making children healthier. Although it is controversial, breastfeeding has been reported to increase the risk of jaundice in the neonatal period. There is some evidence that mothers of hospitalized jaundiced infants discontinue breastfeeding early, as they feel responsible for the baby's condition. The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of a breastfeeding intervention on breastfeeding duration in jaundiced infants. All eligible infants will be randomized to one of two groups (an intervention or a control group). Mothers of infants in the intervention group will meet with a lactation consultant during their hospital stay, and three times post hospital discharge. Lactation consultants are individuals who have received certification in breastfeeding support from an international board, ensuring safe and effective practice. Mothers of infants in the control group will receive the current standard of care, which is typically support from the nursing staff, who are often not trained in lactation support. Information will be collected on length of time that infants are fed only breast milk, future visits to health care providers, mothers' need for breastfeeding support post hospital discharge, mothers' perception of their physicians' attitudes towards breastfeeding, and mothers' experiences at the hospital, as well as feedback on the intervention. Phone follow-up will occur one week post hospital discharge, and when the child is 2, 3, 4 and 6 months old. The results of this study will clarify the importance of offering sound breastfeeding advice to mothers of young infants hospitalized with jaundice and help determine whether there is a need for trained lactation specialists in children's hospitals. It will allow us to examine whether such an intervention can have a quantifiable impact on children's health in their first 6 months of life, as measured by physician encounters and hospitalizations. It will also allow collection of information on advice and support given to breastfeeding women by primary care physicians, potentially identifying needs for more rigorous breastfeeding training during medical training.
The aim of this study is to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of the effect of early limited formula supplementation on breastfeeding-related outcomes for infants with high early weight loss. The investigators will enroll 40 exclusively breastfeeding infants at 24-48 hours of age and will randomly assign them to early limited formula supplementation following nursing (intervention group) or to no formula feeding (control group). Both groups will receive intensive lactation support. Outcome variables will include breastfeeding status on day-of-life 8, weight nadir, breastfeeding self-efficacy, maternal satisfaction, and exclusive and partial breastfeeding at 1-3 months. The hypothesis for this study is that early limited formula supplementation might help infants with early weight loss avoid eventual weight loss ≥ 10% and associated breastfeeding problems.
To assess the maternal and infant safety of a single daily fixed-dose combination of TDF/FTC/EFV (Atripla®), compared to the association of LPV/r (Kaletra® or Aluvia®) and 3TC/ZDV (Combivir®) given to African women to prevent overall MTCT in populations practicing breastfeeding.