Study revisits measures of breastfeeding success—and the consequences for parents
Within breastfeeding research, there's a widely recognized need to move beyond using only the duration of breastfeeding as the measure of "successful breastfeeding" and to integrate person-centered outcomes.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open revisits the concept of successful breastfeeding, moving beyond solely measuring the duration of breastfeeding to include person-centered outcomes such as a parent's well-being and emotional health. Led by Deanna Nardella of the Yale School of Medicine, the researchers analyzed 2026 national survey data from a sample of 712 adults who had used breast pumps with their full-term infants aged 3 to 24 months.
The study found that while there has been a slight decrease in the prevalence of unmet breastfeeding goals compared to earlier U.S. studies, over one-third of respondents still had unmet prenatal breastfeeding goals. Among those who stopped breastfeeding, 60% were disappointed by this outcome. Participants with unmet goals reported significantly lower satisfaction and success with breastfeeding compared to those who met their goals.
The researchers suggest that unmet goals are more often the result of systemic barriers rather than individual motivation, and they emphasize the need for health systems, payers, and public policy to better support breastfeeding families.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
