Mother-infant bonding is not associated with feeding type: a community study sample
Ilana S Hairston1,2, Jonathan E Handelzalts3, Tamar Lehman-Inbar3
1Department of Psychology, Academic College of Tel-Hai, 1220800, Qiryat Shemona, Israel. hairstonster@gmail.com.
Breastfeeding does not appear to be a key factor in mother-infant bonding. This study found no evidence that breastfeeding protects against mood or sleep issues impacting bonding in healthy mothers.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal mental health
- Maternal-infant bonding
- Lactation research
Background:
- Mother-infant bonding involves emotions and cognitions towards an infant.
- Breastfeeding is commonly believed to enhance mother-infant bonding.
- Empirical evidence supporting this belief is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between breastfeeding and mother-infant bonding.
- To determine if breastfeeding protects against negative mood and sleep effects on bonding.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 271 Israeli mothers (infant age 1-9 months).
- Assessed breastfeeding status, bonding (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire), mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), and sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).
Main Results:
- Breastfeeding was not associated with mother-infant bonding.
- Breastfeeding correlated with increased daytime fatigue but not other sleep issues.
- Hierarchical regression showed bonding related to fatigue and depression only in currently breastfeeding mothers.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding may not be central to mother-infant bonding in healthy mothers.
- Breastfeeding does not appear to mitigate the negative impact of mood and sleep disturbances on bonding.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex relationship between infant feeding, maternal well-being, and bonding.
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