Solids and formula: Association with pattern and duration of breastfeeding

Objectives. To study changes in pattern and duration of breastfeeding assoc iated with the introduction of solids and formula. Study Design. Descriptive longitudinal, prospective study. Setting. The participants were recruited from the maternity ward in the Uni versity Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, between May 1989 and December 1992. A total of 15 189 infants were born during the period, 1 177 mother-infant pa irs were found eligible for participation; 57% declined because of the perc eived high workload. Study Population. Five hundred six mother-infant pairs. Methods. Daily recordings by the mothers on infant feeding, from the first week after delivery to the second menstruation postpartum or a new pregnanc y; fortnightly home visits with structured interviews by a research assista nt. Results. Introduction of solids was associated with no or minor changes in breastfeeding frequency and suckling duration. Breastfeeding frequency rema ined constant the first month after the introduction and then declined slow ly, while daily suckling duration started to decline slowly when solids wer e introduced. Breastfeeding duration was not associated with infants' age a t introduction of solids. In infants given formula, as soon as regular form ula feeds started, the breastfeeding frequency and suckling duration declin ed swiftly. The younger an infant was at the start of regular formula feeds , the shorter the breastfeeding duration. Conclusions. Health care personnel and parents need to be aware that introd uction of solids and introduction of formula can have very different conseq uences for breastfeeding. If the aim is to introduce other foods to breastf ed infants under the protection of breast milk, it is important to realize that formula is also another food and needs to be treated as such.