Functional Assessment of Infant Breastfeeding Patterns

Abstract: As breastfeeding rates have increased in the United States, the need has arisen for coordinated approaches to the assessment of normal and problem situations. Since some difficulties are related to the manner in which baby feeds, guidelines are discussed for the visual assessment of breastfeeding. These include the when, why, and how of assessing seven common situations or problems: initial breastfeeding experiences, inadequate infant weight gain or low milk intake, insufficient milk supply (real or perceived), nipple problems, latch‐on and sucking disorganization, high‐risk situations, and the good baby syndrome.