ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore whether feeding only directly
from the breast in the first 24–48 h of life increases the
proportion of infants receiving any breast milk at
6 months.
Design: A prospective cohort study.
Setting: Three maternity hospitals in Melbourne,
Australia.
Participants: 1003 postpartum English-speaking
women with a healthy singleton term infant, who
intended to breast feed, were recruited between 2009
and 2011. Women were excluded if they or their infant
were seriously ill. 92% (n=924) were followed up at
6 months postpartum.