Many new mothers report no physician advice on infant sleep position, breastfeeding

When I was between IT jobs several years ago, I worked for a couple of weeks at a day care center. The lady who took care of the infants put them on their stomachs. When a baby was crying for a long time, I went over and picked it up and soothed it, and the attendant expressed surprise that the baby stopped crying when I picked it up.

Public Release: 27-Jul-2015
Many new mothers report no physician advice on infant sleep position, breastfeeding
NIH-funded survey finds consistent advice lacking on infant care recommendations
NIH/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Many new mothers do not receive advice from physicians on aspects of infant care such as sleep position, breastfeeding, immunization and pacifier use, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Health care practitioner groups have issued recommendations and guidelines on all these aspects of infant care, based on research which has found that certain practices can prevent disease and even save lives.

•••••

Roughly 20 percent of mothers said they did not receive advice from their doctors regarding current recommendations on breastfeeding or on placing infants to sleep on their backs--a practice long proven to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). More than 50 percent of mothers reported they received no advice on where their infants should sleep. Room-sharing with parents--but not bed-sharing--is the recommended practice for safe infant sleep.

•••••

"Earlier studies have shown that new mothers listen to their physicians," said Marian Willinger, Ph.D.., of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which funded the study. "This survey shows that physicians have an opportunity to provide new mothers with much-needed advice on how to improve infant health and even save infant lives."

African American women, Hispanic women and first time mothers were more likely to receive advice from their physicians than were white women and mothers of two or more children.

•••••

the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that caregivers always place a baby on his or her back for sleep at night and for naps.

•••••