BREAST-FEEDING PATTERNS - COMPARING THE EFFECTS ON INFANT BEHAVIOR AND MATERNAL SATISFACTION OF USING ONE OR 2 BREASTS

In the Western world advice given by breastfeeding consultants about t he use of one or two breasts at each feed has resulted in apparently a rbitrary changes over time. This study compared 1-month-old breastfed infants' reactions to single- and two-breast feeds in terms of restles sness, crying, sleeping, and frequency of feeds, wet diapers, and loos e stools. Eighty mothers were randomly assigned at the maternity ward, 44 to the single-breast group and 36 to the two-breast group. At one- month follow-up no differences between the groups were seen regarding any infant behavior variables, or in terms o maternal satisfaction, co nfidence, and mood throughout the full 24-hour observation period or d uring a 6-hour period in the evening. Compliance with the assigned fee ding method was better in the two-breast than in the one-breast group. This may partly be due to tradition, since the two-breast practice ha s been recommended by child health nurses in Sweden for over 50 years. It seems reasonable that a baby should be allowed to finish the first breast and, if still hungry, be offered the second breast. The baby's appetite is the deciding factor.