Those are key places where fathers learn about these best practices, Parker said. “But I think one scenario that we’ve seen play out is that racial and ethnic minorities have less availability to things like paternity leave … so it’s possible that it gets harder to get to appointments, or to be at the newborn nursery, the OB-GYN office.” “I think that more needs to be done in this space to understand some of the reasons between the disparities,” Parker said. The research also found racial disparities in sleep practices, with Black fathers less likely than White fathers to follow those practices. How long you breastfeed may affect your child’s test scores later, study shows thianchai sitthikongsak/Moment RF/Getty Images While there are many potential benefits to breastfeeding, it won't work for everyone, experts said. Those are all recommended strategies for preventing sudden infant death syndrome, which causes about 3,400 deaths in the United States every year, according to the CDC. The surface should be firm with no soft bedding or other items, such as blankets or stuffed animals.Use an approved sleep surface, one specifically designed for infant sleep (i.e., crib, bassinet, bedside sleeper).Always place infants to sleep on their backs.It found 99% of fathers had put their child to bed, but less than a quarter of them used all the methods recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Fathers were eligible if the infant’s mother also took the PRAMS survey. The study started small: Researchers collected data, via a survey, from 250 fathers in Georgia within the first two to six months after the birth of their child. John James Parker, who is a pediatrician, internist and researcher at Northwestern. “We focused on breastfeeding and infant sleep because they are two key national health targets,” said lead study author Dr. Ultimately, the CDC reached out to the Northwestern researchers for help, providing funding for the study. Mothers knew that a father’s active support could be critical in the early months of an infant’s life, and they wanted that data reflected, too, Garfield said. “The only question they asked (originally in the survey) about dads was: ‘Did your partner hit, kick, beat or slap you during your pregnancy?’ ” “The moms actually started to write in the margins of the survey,” Garfield said. Craig Garfield, a pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.įor more than 30 years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has carried out a Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System - or PRAMS - survey that seeks to gather data from mothers before, during and after birth. The reason the researchers asked these questions in the first place? Moms wanted them to, said study coauthor Dr. And many could do more to support mothers who breastfeed, which can provide key health benefits for babies, the study indicated. The results of the survey, which included 250 fathers, were “suboptimal,” the study concluded, revealing only 16% of dads followed all the recommended safe sleeping practices for infants. The results showed that fathers play a crucial role in both - and it highlights the need for bolstered parental leave policies in the United States, according to the study, which published Friday in the journal Pediatrics. The research sought to answer several questions about paternal participation in breastfeeding and the use of safe sleep practices for babies. A new study - a rare effort that focuses solely on the father’s involvement in an infant’s life - shows a striking link between the support that dads offer and better infant outcomes.
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