Influences on Infant Feeding: Perceptions of Mother-Father Parent Dyads.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine interrelational-, organizational-, and community-level influences on how coparents collaborate about infant and toddler feeding.

Study Design And Sample: Using qualitative methods, we interviewed mother-father parent dyads to explore the potential influences on infant and toddler feeding. Participants were purposively recruited from two Midwest, rural, university-system pediatric clinics.

Father participation in a community-doula home-visiting intervention with young, African American mothers.

This article examines the extent and nature of father participation in a perinatal, community-based doula home-visiting intervention that served young, African American mothers from low-income backgrounds and their infants. Home-visitor service records were used to assess the quantity, setting, and content of father-attended visits. Correlates of fathers' participation and thematic insights from mothers' and home-visitors' perspectives on how fathers perceived and interacted with the home-visiting program were analyzed to further characterize the nature of father participation.

The association of breastfeeding initiation with sensitivity, cognitive stimulation, and efficacy among young mothers: a propensity score matching approach.

Objective: This study examined the association between breastfeeding initiation and maternal sensitivity, efficacy, and cognitive stimulation among young, low-income, African American mothers.

Subjects And Methods: Two hundred twenty-one mothers were interviewed during pregnancy, at birth, and at 4 months postpartum regarding breastfeeding and parenting. Medical records were collected after birth, and mother-infant interactions were videotaped at 4 months.

Breastfeeding and complementary food: randomized trial of community doula home visiting.

Objectives: Despite recent efforts to increase breastfeeding, young African American mothers continue to breastfeed at low rates, and commonly introduce complementary foods earlier than recommended. This study examines the effects of a community doula home visiting intervention on infant feeding practices among young mothers.

Methods: Low-income, African American mothers (n = 248) under age 22 years participated in a randomized trial of a community doula intervention.

Supportive relationships and the trajectory of depressive symptoms among young, African American mothers.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine changes in young mothers' depressive symptoms from pregnancy through the first two postpartum years and how supportive relationships with key individuals were related to mothers' depressive symptoms over time. Data were collected from young, low-income African American mothers (N = 248) during pregnancy and at 4, 12, and 24 months postpartum. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analyses revealed that depressive symptoms were highest during pregnancy and declined through 24 months postpartum.