The Effect of Individualized Professional Support on Duration of Breastfeeding: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A trial was conducted with 51 women randomly assigned either to a conventional nursing care group or to an individualized professional support group to examine the effect of professional support on breastfeeding status at 4 weeks postpartum. All participants identified themselves as having no prior support. At 4 weeks postpartum, 17 out of 25 (68%) and 26 out of 26 (100%) women in the control and intervention groups, respectively, continued to breastfeed (P = .005). Results indicate that postpartum care augmented with individualized professional support commenced in the hospital and continued in the community significantly increases the duration of breastfeeding among women who identify themselves as being without support for the first month postpartum.