Systematic ReviewResearchPatient Education

Involving fathers and grandparents in breastfeeding support nearly tripled exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months

Nursing Open (PubMed)Jul 1, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies found that family-centred breastfeeding interventions, which actively involve fathers, grandparents, and other key family members, nearly tripled exclusive breastfeeding rates at 6 months postpartum compared with routine care.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

Following the Cochrane Handbook and using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool, this review pooled 19 studies of breastfeeding interventions that engaged family members. Family-based interventions significantly improved exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum compared with routine care (odds ratio 2.93; 95% CI 1.90 to 4.50; p < 0.001). Interventions grounded in a theoretical framework outperformed non-theoretical ones for exclusive breastfeeding within 2 months (odds ratio 5.50; 95% CI 2.30 to 13.19; p < 0.001), multi-component approaches beat single-method ones (odds ratio 2.70; 95% CI 2.04 to 3.57; p < 0.001), and programmes spanning both prenatal and postnatal periods achieved higher rates at 4 to 6 months than single-phase efforts (odds ratio 4.84; 95% CI 2.50 to 9.40; p < 0.001).

Why this matters for nurses

Exclusive breastfeeding through the early months carries well-documented benefits, yet rates often fall short, and support has traditionally centered on the mother alone. This review may matter for nurses because it points to the wider family, including fathers and grandparents, as an underused lever for helping mothers sustain exclusive breastfeeding.

Bedside takeaway

Worth knowing that a meta-analysis of 19 studies found involving fathers, grandparents, and other family members in breastfeeding support nearly tripled exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months compared with routine care.

Key takeaways

Across 19 studies, family-centred breastfeeding interventions nearly tripled exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months versus routine care (odds ratio 2.93; 95% CI 1.90 to 4.50; p < 0.001).
Theory-based interventions outperformed non-theoretical ones for exclusive breastfeeding within 2 months (odds ratio 5.50; 95% CI 2.30 to 13.19).
Multi-component programmes were more effective than single-method approaches (odds ratio 2.70; 95% CI 2.04 to 3.57).
Interventions covering both prenatal and postnatal periods achieved higher 4 to 6 month rates than single-phase efforts (odds ratio 4.84; 95% CI 2.50 to 9.40).

Practice implications

For labor and delivery, postpartum, and lactation nurses, the findings support inviting fathers, grandparents, and other key family members into breastfeeding education rather than teaching the mother in isolation. Interventions that use a theoretical framework, combine multiple methods, and begin prenatally while continuing after birth appeared most effective in this analysis.

Limitations & cautions

As a meta-analysis of 19 heterogeneous studies, the results reflect the pooled quality and design of the included trials, which were assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool but varied in setting and intervention. The review was not registered, and the specific components of an ideal family-centred programme still need to be defined and tested prospectively.
AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

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Nursing Open (PubMed)

Nursing Open (PubMed). Family-Centred Breastfeeding Interventions to Improve Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42400223/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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Journal of midwifery & women's health (PubMed)Sep 7, 2026Research Article

A retrospective analysis of US natality data found no statistically significant yearly difference in neonatal mortality between freestanding birth centers and hospitals among term, singleton, vertex births without major medical risk factors from 2015 through 2024.

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Research ArticleResearchPatient EducationAI summary · original source linked below

Adjusted neonatal-mortality odds for freestanding birth centers fluctuated around 1.0 across the 10-year study period. No individual year showed a statistically significant difference from hospital births, including 2020 and 2021 when birth-center volume increased.

Key takeaways

The analysis was restricted to births meeting selected low-risk criteria.
The study found no evidence that higher birth-center use during the pandemic years increased neonatal mortality.
The observational design cannot establish that birth setting itself caused the mortality pattern.

Why this matters on shift

The findings add national outcome data for counseling and systems planning around freestanding birth-center care for appropriately selected low-risk pregnancies.

Bedside takeaway

Apply local eligibility, surveillance, escalation, and transfer protocols when caring for planned low-risk birth-center patients.

Nursing implications

Keep eligibility, surveillance, escalation, and transfer decisions anchored to local birth-center criteria and maternal-newborn protocols.

Limitations & cautions

Abstract-only summary. The study used retrospective vital-record data, was limited to selected low-risk births, and cannot exclude residual differences between people who delivered in birth centers and hospitals.
AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations · exact source links

Journal of midwifery & women's health (PubMed). Neonatal Mortality Risk Among Births in Freestanding Birth Centers, 2015 to 2024.

Open original sourceFull brief

AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Pediatric emergency care (PubMed)Sep 7, 2026Research Article

A double-blind randomized trial found no reduction in vomiting or faster oral tolerance with intravenous pantoprazole versus placebo in children with acute gastroenteritis and persistent vomiting after ondansetron.

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Research ArticleResearchMedication SafetyAI summary · original source linked below

The trial randomized 100 children. Vomiting episodes and oral tolerance at 6 and 12 hours did not differ significantly, while median hospital stay was 2 days with pantoprazole and 1 day with placebo.

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The median participant age was 14 months, and 67% of participants were male.
Oral tolerance at 12 hours was 86% in both groups.
The longer stay associated with pantoprazole requires cautious interpretation because this was a single-center trial.

Why this matters on shift

The trial does not support empiric intravenous proton-pump inhibition for persistent vomiting in pediatric acute gastroenteritis after ondansetron.

Bedside takeaway

Clarify the indication for empiric acid suppression and keep hydration and oral-tolerance assessment central to care.

Nursing implications

Prioritize the ordered hydration and oral-tolerance plan, document ongoing emesis, and clarify the indication before administering empiric acid suppression.

Limitations & cautions

Abstract-only summary. This was a single-center study of 100 children in Tehran, and the abstract does not describe adverse events or explain why hospitalization was longer in the pantoprazole group.
AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations · exact source links

Pediatric emergency care (PubMed). Effect of Intravenous Pantoprazole on Clinical Outcomes in Pediatric Acute Gastroenteritis: A Placebo-Controlled RCT.

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AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Journal of neurology (PubMed)Sep 6, 2026Systematic Review

A cumulative meta-analysis found longer survival over time in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, alongside a shift from predominantly respiratory toward cardiac causes of death.

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Systematic ReviewResearchPatient EducationAI summary · original source linked below

The review included 53 studies and more than 13,000 patients. Pooled median survival was 29 years among ventilated patients and 19 years among non-ventilated patients, but these study-level observational comparisons do not establish that ventilation alone caused the difference.

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Sixty percent of patients in the included studies received home mechanical ventilation.
Survival improved progressively over time in both ventilated and non-ventilated groups.
As respiratory survival improved, cardiac and other causes accounted for a larger share of deaths.

Why this matters on shift

Patients living longer with Duchenne muscular dystrophy may need sustained respiratory support plus ongoing cardiac and multisystem surveillance across care transitions.

Bedside takeaway

Verify each patient's established respiratory and cardiac plan during admissions and care transitions.

Nursing implications

During admissions and handoffs, verify the established ventilation, airway-clearance, and cardiac-monitoring plan and coordinate concerns with the multidisciplinary team.

Limitations & cautions

Abstract-only summary. This was a study-level meta-analysis of heterogeneous observational survival reports; the ventilated and non-ventilated groups were not randomized, so associations should not be interpreted as treatment effects.
AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations · exact source links

Journal of neurology (PubMed). Improving survival in Duchenne muscular dystrophy across eras: a systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis.

Open original sourceFull brief

AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Key takeaways

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Exact source links

More updates for this clinical area

Low-risk birth-center births showed no higher neonatal mortality in a 10-year analysis

IV pantoprazole did not improve vomiting or oral tolerance in pediatric gastroenteritis

Duchenne survival has improved as respiratory and cardiac care evolved