INFANT-FEEDING PRACTICES IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

The purpose of this prospective, longitudinal study was to determine i nfant feeding practices in Newfoundland and Labrador. Questionnaires c ontaining fixed-answer adn open-ended questions were administered to a random sample of 912 mothers immediately postpartum, and at one, four and six months postpartum. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square statistic were used to analyze the data. A t-test was used to test for weight gain differences between infant feeding groups. The breastfeed ing initiation rate was 42.9%, declining to 17.4% at six months. young er, less educated mothers with lower incomes were less likely to start breastfeeding or more likely to discontinue early. Major reasons for choosing not to breastfeed were distaste, embarrassment and discomfort with it. by six months of age, 31% of bottle-feeding babies were bein g fed evaporated milk, whole milk, or two percent cow's milk. Babies f ed evaporated milks were significantly heavier at six months than babi es fed breastmilk or formula.