Infant feeding and contraceptive practices among adolescents with a high teen pregnancy rate: a 3-year retrospective study.

Background: Adolescents consistently demonstrate the lowest rates of breastfeeding among women of reproductive age despite well-documented benefits of breastfeeding. In Amarillo, Texas, a medium-sized community with a perennially high teen pregnancy rate, we sought (1) to determine breastfeedings practices among adolescent females immediately after delivery and again at 6 weeks and (2) to identify contraceptive choices among the same teen population.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review focused on adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 coming to a university-based obstetrical service between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008.