BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs after in utero exposure to opioids, but outcomes after the postnatal period are unclear. Our objectives were to characterize childhood hospitalization after NAS.

BackgroundBreastfeeding has short-term and long-term benefits for both the infant and the mother. The objective of this study was to identify the incidence of breastfeeding initiation among women in South Western Sydney, and the factors associated with the initiation of breastfeeding.MethodsChild and Family Health Nurses recruited mother-infant dyads (n = 1035) to the Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids birth study in South Western Sydney, an ethnically and socio-economically diverse area, at the first post-natal home visit. A sample of 935 women completed a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire at 8 weeks. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify those factors independently associated with the initiation of breastfeeding.ResultsIn total, 92% of women (n = 860) commenced breastfeeding in hospital. Women who completed a university degree were more likely to initiate breastfeeding compared to those who did not complete high school (AOR = 7.16, 95% CI 2.73, 18.79). Vietnamese women had lower odds of breastfeeding initiation compared to Australian born women (AOR = 0.34. 95% CI 0.13, 0.87). Women who had more than one child were less likely to breastfeed than those who had one child (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.19, 0.79). Women who gave birth via a caesarean section were less likely to breastfeed their baby compared to those who had a vaginal delivery (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.14, 0.52). Women who drank alcohol during pregnancy had 72% lower odds to breastfeed compared to those who did not drink alcohol during pregnancy (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11, 0.71). Women who reported that their partner preferred breastfeeding were more likely to initiate breastfeeding (AOR = 11.77, 95% CI 5.73, 24.15) and women who had chosen to breastfeed before pregnancy had more than 2.5 times the odds of breastfeeding their baby compared to those women who made their decision either during pregnancy or after labour (AOR = 2.80, 95% CI 1.31, 5.97).ConclusionsWomen with lower levels of education, who consume alcohol during pregnancy, have more than one child, and make infant feeding decision after becoming pregnant, and those born in Vietnam should be targeted when implementing breastfeeding promotion programs. Further, women who deliver by caesarean section require additional breastfeeding support post-delivery and it is important to include fathers in breastfeeding related decisions and encourage them to participate in antenatal programs.

The objective of the study was to identify latent variables that can be used to inform theoretical models of perinatal influences on postnatal depressed mood and maternal–infant attachment. A routine survey of mothers with newborn infants was commenced in South Western Sydney in 2000. The survey included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and 46 psychosocial and health-related variables. Mothers (n = 15,389) delivering in 2002 and 2003 were surveyed at 2–3 weeks for depressive symptoms. Nonlinear principal components analysis was undertaken to identify dimensions that might represent latent variables. Correlations between latent variables and EPDS >12 were assessed by logistic regression. A five-dimension solution was identified, which accounted for 51% of the variance among the items studied. The five dimensions identified were maternal responsiveness, social exclusion, infant behavior, migrant social isolation, and family size. In addition, the variable maternal expectation contributed significantly to total variance and was included in the regression analysis. Regression on EPDS >12 was predictive for all variables except for maternal responsiveness, which was considered an outcome variable. The findings are consistent with the proposition that social exclusion, infant behavior, social isolation among migrant mothers, and maternal expectations are determinants of maternal mood.