Few women currently meet revised WHO recommendations to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months postpartum. In this prospective study we aimed to determine the influence of socio-demographic, psychosocial, and perinatal factors on the length of exclusive breastfeeding among 189 Canadian primiparous mothers. A majority of the participants did not meet their exclusive breastfeeding goals, and only 5% breastfed exclusively for a full 6 months. Breastfeeding self-efficacy, in-hospital formula supplementation, prenatal class attendance, and type of delivery independently predicted exclusive breastfeeding duration. Findings underscore the complex interplay of factors influencing breastfeeding, highlight the early postpartum weeks as a critical period for the establishment of exclusive breastfeeding, and suggest the need for a continuum of pre- and postnatal strategies for prolonging the exclusive breastfeeding period.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in shifting the focus of clinical practice with families from a deficit to a strengths-based perspective. The concept of individual and family strengths is a central concept of the McGill Model of Nursing, yet there has been little description of the construct and how it can be used in practice. Through an examination of the practice of expert nurses and the approaches used in the assessment of families’ strengths and resources, planning and intervention were elucidated. This article describes how clinicians can identify and provide feedback concerning strengths, identify resources, and help families develop and call forth strengths, mobilize and use resources, and regulate the input of these resources.

The grief reactions of bereaved mo~hers and fathers and their perception of their marital relationship following the death of their infant were examined and compared with nonbereaved couples. The correlation between bereaved parents' grief reactions and their marital intimacy was also explored.

Nursing has an important role to play in creating conditions to support change. To fulfil this role, nurses need to be able to assess readiness for change and the factors that enable it and then to intervene in ways that facilitate readiness.