The authors examined the breastfeeding duration and management of two groups of mothers with different exposures to services of a Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC). One group of mothers, at hospital H1 (n = 46), had access to a CLC, while mothers at hospital H2 (n = 115) did not. Results showed that: (a) mothers at H1 had significantly (t = 2.33, p < .02) longer durations of breastfeeding (M = 3.1 months, SD = 1.2) than peers at H2 (M = 2.4 months, SD = 1.2); (b) a significantly greater proportion of mothers at H1 attained their intended duration of breastfeeding compared to mothers at H2 (Mann-Whitney U, one-tailed test, Z = 1.94, p < .05); and (c) in a stepwise multiple regression analysis, intended length of breastfeeding accounted for 18% of the variance in duration of breastfeeding, mothers' age 9%, and mothers' education 3%. The results support the theory of reasoned action and the theory of patient education.
PIP: The beneficial impact of certified lactation consultants on the duration of breast feeding was demonstrated in a hospital-based study conducted in the southwestern US. These consultants help new mothers to achieve their desired duration of breast feeding and to overcome technical problems through home visits and telephone contact. Compared were the breast feeding histories of 46 new mothers who delivered at a hospital that employed the services of a lactation consultant and the experiences of 115 new mothers who delivered at a hospital in the same community that lacked such a resource. In both hospitals, the majority of mothers were White and married. As hypothesized, the mean duration of breast feeding was significantly longer among mothers provided with the services of a lactation consultant (3.1 months) than among those who did not receive this service (2.4 months). In addition, 71% of the former mothers compared to only 54% of the latter mothers achieved or exceeded their originally intended breast feeding duration.