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This secondary analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between test weights and days of breastfeeding. Test weights were performed with a scale (accurate to 2 grams) before and after feeding. Days of breastfeeding was measured by self-reporting. All test weights were interrelated and were associated with higher days of breastfeeding. Test weights at day 2 to 4 and at 2 weeks were not correlated significantly with either intention or self-efficacy at any time. However, 6-week test weights were correlated with intention at all 3 times, and self-efficacy at 6 weeks. Women with higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scores tended to report higher intention to breastfeed for 6 months.

Objective: To describe the experience of mothers whose pregnancies were complicated with HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets) and to determine if such experiences could be clustered by common themes from which a model could emerge., Design: Retrospective, descriptive, qualitative study utilizing grounded theory analysis., Setting: Participants were interviewed in their homes via telephone. Participants were from Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming, representing both urban and rural settings., Participants: Nine self-selected survivors of HELLP syndrome., Results: The essential structure of the experience of HELLP syndrome can be expressed as a circle of no control and not knowing, which included the five themes of premonition, symptoms, betrayal, whirlwind, and loss. The pervading emotions expressed were fear (of death), frustration, anger, and guilt. HELLP syndrome represents a unique maternal experience that can be expressed in a model.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently removed nicotine from the category of drugs contraindicated during breastfeeding. Little evidence demonstrates that infants exposed to nicotine through breastfeeding experience increased health risks beyond the airborne risks associated with passive smoking. The purpose of this longitudinal, five-week, quasi-experimental pilot study was to determine whether "smoking hygiene," an educational intervention, reduces the frequency of respiratory symptoms experienced by infants whose mothers both smoke and breastfeed. Twenty-nine mother-infant pairs entered the study with 28% dropping out. Of the 21 mother-infant pairs who completed the study, 66% of the nine infants in the control group experienced respiratory illness, compared to 42% of the 12 infants in the intervention group (x2 = .814; p > .05). Thus, the difference was statistically nonsignificant in this small sample, but the trend worsened the anticipated direction. The study demonstrates some of the difficulties of intervening with this group of mothers.

In this column, the author reviews statistics that reflect the disparity of maternal mortality rates among black, nonwhite, and white women.

The Environmnetal Working Group, Health Care Without Harm (1999) recommends that pregnant women avoid eating tuna, swordfish, or shark and that young children avoid eating more than one serving of tuna per week. Childbirth educators are in a unique position to educate women about the dangers of methylmercury exposure during pregnancy.

Researchers continue to find new ways to protect the fetus and newborn from hazards posed by the environment through infectious and chemical agents. Research indicates that for women infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, antibiotic treatment reduces the incidence of harmful effects this infection can have on the fetus. In addition, researchers have concluded that women's breast milk can be a source of lead exposure in infants. Maternal use of calcium supplements, however, can decrease the risk of lead transfer by reducing the mobilization of skeletal mineral stores.