What mothers know about their newborns' visual skills

Fifty-four mothers were asked whether they had observed evidence that their baby could see, whether this was expected, and where they had obtained information about babies. 61 per cent had not expected their baby to see, and 47 per cent did not think their baby could see. These findings were not affected by social class, parity, age of baby, or hospital attended. The most common source of information was reading matter, but mothers were often misinformed and confused. Most had seen their baby smile but there was a tendency among those who did not think their baby could see to attribute this to 'wind' rather than to a social response. 81 per cent of mothers breastfed initially. On follow-up there was a tendency for those who had thought their baby could see at the time of the first interview to maintain breastfeeding beyond the first month and to continue breastfeeding for longer than mothers who had thought that their baby could not see.