Well Established

Initiation, continuation, and duration of breastfeeding have been closely associated with maternal attitudes toward infant feeding. Maternal attitude predicts choice and subsequent duration of breastfeeding better than sociodemographic factors such as marital status, age, education, and associated health behaviors. Newly Expressed Maternal attitudes towards infant feeding do not differ between early and late pregnancy and postpartum. Moreover, the pre-dominance of mid-range attitude scores suggests most UK women have ambivalent feelings about feeding. Background Breastfeeding provides the best form of nutrition for infants,1,2 and the World Health Organization recom-mends that babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months and continue to breastfeed and receive other appropriate food for at least 2 years.3 Yet breastfeeding rates in the United Kingdom (UK) are among the lowest in Europe.4 The latest UK survey of infant feeding habits showed that, whereas 76 % of women initiated breastfeeding immediately after birth, only 48 % were sill breastfeeding at 6 weeks and 456602 JHLXXX10.1177/08903344124566 02Journal of Human LactationWilkins et a