Gl. Freed et al., ACCURACY OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS PREDICTIONS OF FATHERS ATTITUDES REGARDING BREAST-FEEDING, Journal of family practice, 37(2), 1993, pp. 148-152
Background. Breast-feeding plays a well-recognized role in lowering in
fant morbidity and mortality during the first year of life. Previous r
esearch has demonstrated that fathers contribute to the decision of wh
ich infant feeding method will be used, and can be effective promoters
of breast-feeding. A woman's decision to breast-feed her infant may r
est on her assumptions of the father's attitude regarding this feeding
method. As the perception of a negative paternal attitude toward brea
st-feeding may discourage some women from breast-feeding, this study w
as designed to determine whether a mother can accurately predict the f
ather's attitude on this subject. Methods. Subjects were 268 pairs of
expectant mothers and fathers enrolled in childbirth preparation class
es at five private hospitals in Houston, Texas. Participants individua
lity completed pretested surveys assessing their attitudes regarding b
reast-feeding. Mothers' surveys additionally assessed their partner's
attitudes toward breast-feeding. Results. More mothers than fathers re
ported exclusive breast-feeding as their preferred feeding plan (69% v
s 58%), whereas only 54% of partners both responded they preferred bre
ast-feeding. Overall, fathers had more favorable attitudes toward brea
st-feeding than their partners predicted, but large numbers of fathers
harbored misconceptions and negative attitudes toward breast-feeding.
Mothers' predictions were little more accurate than random guessing i
n predicting their partner's response (range: 56% to 83%). Conclusions
. A mother's perception of her partner's attitudes toward breast-feedi
ng influences her choice of infant feeding method. If she perceives th
at the father has a negative attitude about breast-feeding, she will p
robably not choose this method. Additional efforts to dispel misconcep
tions about breast-feeding should be made during childbirth preparatio
n classes and prenatal visits.