Presented at the Breastfeeding and Feminism International Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, March 21-23, 2018

Wouk K¹, Tucker CM¹, Pence BW², Meltzer-Brody S³, Zvara B¹, and Stuebe AM^1,4

Background: Major medical organizations in the U.S. recommend exclusive breastfeeding for six months, with continued breastfeeding through the first year “or longer as mutually desired by the woman and her infant.” Few studies have explored the role of maternal emotions in breastfeeding outcomes. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions suggests that experiences of positive emotions lead to adaptive benefits by broadening one’s thought-action repertoire, allowing the accrual of personal and social resources to improve health and well-being.

Aims/Purpose: To estimate the association between maternal positive emotions during infant feeding at two months and time to any and exclusive breast milk feeding cessation and overall maternal evaluation of breastfeeding at 12 months. Continue reading →