Although breast milk is the normative feeding for infants, breastfeeding rates are lower than recommended. We investigated breastfeeding difficulties experienced by mothers in the first months after delivery and their association with early breastfeeding discontinuation. We conducted a prospective observational study. Mothers breastfeeding singleton healthy term newborns at hospital discharge were enrolled and, at three months post-delivery, were administered a questionnaire on their breastfeeding experience. Association among neonatal/maternal characteristics, breastfeeding difficulties and support after hospital discharge, and type of feeding at three months was assessed using multivariate binary logistic regression analysis. We enrolled 792 mothers, 552 completed the study. Around 70.3% of mothers experienced breastfeeding difficulties, reporting cracked nipples, perception of insufficient amount of milk, pain, and fatigue. Difficulties occurred mostly within the first month. Half of mothers with breastfeeding issues felt well-supported by health professionals. Maternal perception of not having a sufficient amount of milk, infant’s failure to thrive, mastitis, and the return to work were associated with a higher risk of non-exclusive breastfeeding at three months whereas vaginal delivery and breastfeeding support after hospital discharge were associated with a decreased risk. These results underline the importance of continued, tailored professional breastfeeding support.

Background: adiposity may contribute to the future risk of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of an air-displacement plethysmography (aDP) system to estimate percentage fat mass (%FM) in preterm infants and to evaluate interdevice reliability in infants. Methods: a total of 70 preterm and 9 full-term infants were assessed. O dilution (R 2 = 0.63, se of estimate (see) = 1.65, P = 0.006). Bland-altman analysis showed no bias (r = −0.48, P = 0.16) and 95% limits of agreement were −3.40 to 2.76 %FM. There was no difference in mean interdevice reliability %FM values (8.97 vs. 8.55 %FM) between aDP 1 and 2. Regression analysis indicated a low see (1.14% FM) and high R 2 (0.91); 95% limits of agreement were −1.87 to 2.71 %FM. The regression line did not differ significantly from the line of identity. conclusion: aDP is a noninvasive, reliable, and accurate technique to measure preterm infants' body composition in both research and clinical settings.

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