Family Members Influence Decision to Breastfeed

Some mothers decide not to breastfeed because their husbands or other family members do not approve, a new study shows. Dr. Samir Arora and fellow researchers in Pennsylvania surveyed new mothers and reported their findings in the November 2000 issue of Pediatrics.

Forty-four percent of new mothers at a Pennsylvania medical center were breastfeeding at the hospital after giving birth, and 13 percent were still breastfeeding after six months. Those numbers are much lower than the Healthy People 2010 goal of 75 percent of mothers breastfeeding immediately after birth and 50 percent nursing for at least the first six months.

Thirty-six percent of the women who were not breastfeeding said they chose to use formula because the baby's father was uncomfortable with breastfeeding. Twenty-four percent said they chose not to breastfeed because of the grandmother's or other family member's feelings.

Besides family members' attitudes towards breastfeeding, many mothers said they chose not to breastfeed because they were afraid they wouldn't know if their baby was getting enough to eat. And about one third of mothers who were not breastfeeding said they couldn't breastfeeding because they were returning to work.

Of the mothers who did choose to breastfeed, nearly 62 percent cited the baby's health as the main reason to breastfeed. They also mentioned convenience, increased bonding with the baby and how natural breastfeeding feels as reasons to breastfeed.