The Mother Infant Lactation Questionnaire (MILQ): Assessing Breastfeeding Performance
Laura C. Nuzzi, BA; Joseph M. Firriolo, MD; Catherine T. McNamara, BS; John G. Meara, MD, DMD, MBA; Brian I. Labow, MD Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Background:
Despite a growing focus on breastfeeding promotion and research, there currently is no validated measure to assess lactation and breastfeeding performance.
Methods:
The Mother Infant Lactation Questionnaire (MILQ) was developed by our team in conjunction with biostatistics, nursing, and lactation support staff to assess lactation and breastfeeding performance across multiple mother and infant domains. The MILQ was piloted in a sample of mothers between the ages of 18-45 years who were between 6 months - 5 years postpartum.
Results:
Fifteen subjects completed the MILQ (mean age: 31.8 years). All subjects produced milk within the first postpartum week and 86.7% attempted to breastfeed. Two patients did not breastfeed due to preference or infection. Roughly one-third of breastfeeding mothers indicated having insufficient milk production; of which 50% of these patients underwent prior surgery for fibroadenoma or macromastia. Of mothers who breastfed, two-thirds used breastmilk to feed their children almost exclusively. Thirty-eight percent of breastfeeding mothers noted lack of employer support and space to breastfeed at work as a considerable barrier.
Conclusion:
The MILQ has the potential to become a widely recognized tool for clinicians and researchers to quantify and compare breastfeeding and lactation performance. Our findings indicate that the majority of mothers in our sample attempt to breastfeed, with most exclusively using breast milk. All patients in our sample who underwent previous breast surgery were able to lactate and breastfeed, although with limited milk supply.
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