Jan 14, 2009 | View All Issues
Dear colleagues, Attached is the Winter 2009 issue of Maternal and Infant Nutrition Briefs. The articles reviewed in this newsletter include the following: 1) Sleep Deprivation and Weight Loss in New Moms As many parents know, the arrival of a baby in the house often means less sleep for Mom. In this prospective study, sleep deprivation in mothers increased the risk of weight retention at one year postpartum. Source: Gunderson EP, Rifas-Shiman SL, Oken E et al. Association of fewer hours of sleep at six months postpartum with substantial weight retention at 1 year postpartum. Am J Epidem. 2007; 167: 178-187. 2 and 3) Findings from the Infant Feeding Practices Study: 2005-07 The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration conducted the second Infant Feeding Practices Study (IFPS II) in 2005-07 to examine infant feeding choices in US women. In this national study of US mothers, the in-hospital practice of supplementing breastfeeding with formula was very common. Despite expert guidance to delay introduction of solid foods preferably to 6 months of age, 40% of the mothers were already giving solid foods to their babies at 4 months. Early introduction to solid food was associated with greater diet variety in later infancy but also less breastfeeding at 6 months. To maintain breastfeeding intensity after returning to work, mothers should be encouraged to use a strategy of direct feeding and/or pumping breast milk to give to the infant later. To extend the duration of breastfeeding, a strategy that includes direct feeding of the baby will likely have the largest impact. More research is needed among mothers from low socioeconomic and minority groups. Sources: Grummer-Strawn LM, Scanlon KS, Fein SB. Infant feeding and feeding transitions during the first year of life. Pediatrics 2008: 122: S36-S42 and Fein SB, Mandal B, Roe BE. Success of strategies for combining employment and breastfeeding. Pediatrics. 2008; 122: S56-Download (PDF)