Does monitoring newborn weight discourage breast feeding?

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 44 - 46
• Main Authors: McKie, A, Young, D, MacDonald, P D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01.01.2006; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Birth weight; Body Weight; Breast feeding; Breast Feeding - psychology; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child Health; Confidence intervals; Feeding rates; Female; General aspects; Hospitals; Humans; Hypernatremia - prevention & control; Infant Care - methods; Infant Care - psychology; Infant, Newborn; Intervention; Male; Medical sciences; Midwifery; Miscellaneous; Mothers - psychology; Multivariate analysis; Neonates; newborn; Newborn babies; Original; Population; Population Distribution; Population Education; Poverty; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression analysis; Scotland; Statistical Analysis; Weight Loss; weight monitoring; Young Children; Scotland; United Kingdom > UK; Human; Pediatrics; Newborn; Mother; Surveillance; Attitude; Body weight; Perception; Breast feeding; Monitoring; Public health
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/adc.2005.074484

Background: A policy of regular neonatal weight monitoring was introduced to a geographically defined population in 2000. This was combined with targeted breast feeding support for infants reaching specified intervention thresholds. Aims: To look for evidence of compromise in breast feeding rates as a result of this policy change. Methods: Breast feeding rates at 10 days and 6 weeks were compared for this intervention population and two local non-intervention groups for the years 1999 and 2001. The data were analysed using Poisson regression analysis and the Z-test. Results: There was a 3.1% (95% CI 0.8% to 5.5%) rise in the deprivation corrected breast feeding rate at 6 weeks for the intervention population compared to an increase of 0.8% (95% CI –0.8% to 2.3%) for the combined control groups. Multivariate analysis showed that breast feeding rates were adversely influenced by deprivation, but were not significantly influenced by the intervention. Conclusion: No evidence was found to support claims that regular monitoring of newborn weight adversely affects breast feeding rates.