Successful breastfeeding: a global intervention for a physiological process.

In our perinatal unit we applied the ten steps of WHO/UNICEF for Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and evaluated the percentage of exclusive (EBF) or complementary breastfeeding (CBF), and of formula fed (FF) healthy full-term infants (HFI) at hospital discharge (HD). HFI performing EBF at HD were 85.3%, a quite high value. At the age of 3 mths EBF percentage ranged between 59-62.4%, and at 6 mths it decreased to 51.7-37.7%. Customer satisfaction questionnaire at HD ranked "good" to "very good" in 92.8%. Causes of breastfeeding reduction with time and comparison with previous and actual situation in Italy and civilized countries are discussed.

Breastfeeding in Northern Italy.

AIM: To describe the duration and type, as classified by World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, of breastfeeding in Ligurian newborns up to 1 year of age, and to identify possible related factors. METHODS: A prospective, observational study on a cohort of 757 women recruited in 10 hospitals in Northern Italy. Women were followed up by means of a questionnaire at discharge and by telephone interviews in the 4th, 12th, 24th and 48th weeks postpartum using the 'recall period' method. RESULTS: At discharge, 97.3% of mothers had started breastfeeding; regional breastfeeding rates at the 4th, 12th, 24th and 48th weeks were respectively 84.4%, 71.2%, 54.4% and 26.3%. Socio-demographic factors did not significantly influence these percentages. Median duration of breastfeeding was 6.5 months. No statistically significant differences were observed in duration of breastfeeding between women who started exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and those who did predominant breastfeeding (PBF), while the difference was statistically significant when comparing complementary breastfeeding (CBF) with EBF and with PBF. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first regional experience in the Liguria region and represents a starting point for the diffusion of the culture of breastfeeding. Our results are satisfactory with regards to the overall duration of breastfeeding until the first year of life (26.3%), while duration of EBF (9.5% at the 24th week) is still unsatisfactory according to WHO objectives that include EBF for all children up to the sixth month of life.

[Seckel's syndrome]. / La sindrome di Seckel.

The case of a girl with Seckel syndrome, born of an epileptic mother who was taking anticonvulsant drugs, is reported. The patient, admitted to our clinic for short stature, presented some signs of Seckel syndrome: microcephaly, a "bird headed" profile with receding chin and forehead and large beaked nose. Microcephaly and a low birth weight are present in Seckel syndrome, but also in the newborn of epileptic mothers who received anticonvulsive drugs. In the present paper the Authors questioned if the described syndrome was caused by the use of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy, or epilepsy of the mother, or if it was casual.