Initiating breastfeeding: a world survey of the timing of postpartum breastfeeding

A survey of the 'Human Relations Area Files' and ethnographic infant feeding literature from all cultures on the timing of infant feeding revealed that the practice of withholding colostrum from the infant was widespread. Data obtained from 120 cultures showed that in 50 cultures this delay in implementing breastfeeding was more than two days. In many groups, substitute prelacteal feeds were given, while in others, practices such as the use of purgatives exacerbated the risk of dehydration in the infant. The authors warn that nurses and midwives must be aware of the practice of withholding colostrum from the infant, and note that if a mother does not wish to breastfeed in the immediate postpartum, this does not necessarily mean that she wishes to bottle feed the infant.