While it is widely recognized that breastfeeding is best for infants, many women stop breastfeeding their infants earlier than recommended because they believe they are producing insufficient milk. There is a debate about whether women who report insufficient milk actually produce less breastmilk, or whether the perception of milk insufficiency results from factors such as lack of knowledge about how to breastfeed and inadequate social support. This study will investigate insufficient milk in women in Esmeraldas City, Ecuador. A combination of data on breastfeeding behavior and beliefs, infant growth, maternal nutritional status, and milk quantity and quality will be collected from a sample of 72 breastfeeding women over a period of 10 months. The project aims to understand breastmilk insufficiency by 1) a thorough investigation of women's cultural understanding of breastfeeding practices, 2) a longitudinal investigation of biological factors such as maternal and infant nutritional status, fat concentration of breastmilk, and volume of milk intake by infants, and 3) a careful weighing of both cultural and biological variables in relation to milk insufficiency. This will be the first study of milk insufficiency to combine measures of infant milk intake, milk fat content, and structured observations of breastfeeding to be carried out in a developing country. ÃÂ¥/?%¢ ? ©?? ¢??¢¥?Â¥?Â¥??> ?????¢ ?> ¥©à ???/>â ¼©?¢ %/¥¥Ã? ??ÕÃ?Â¥??à ?¢ ?_???Â¥/>Â¥ Â¥? ??Ã?/??>À >Ã? _ÃÂ¥/%%/???/>â ? ¢?Ã??Â?? ¢©/?à />? ??_??¢?Â¥??> ¿> /???Â¥??> Â¥? ¥©à >Ã? ?©Ã_?¢¥?` ¥©/Â¥ ??%% ?à ?>???Ã?Ã? ?> ¥©?¢ ???ÕÃ?Â¥ ??¢¥???Â¥??/% À?/??/¥à />? ?>?Ã?À?/??/¥à ¢¥??Ã>¥¢ ??%% ?à Ã???/Â¥Ã? ?> ¥©à ?Ã?` ??Ã??¢à Ã??Ã??_Ã>Â¥/% Â¥Ã?©>???â ?Ã????Ã? Â?? ¥©à ?>?â¥?À/Â¥??> ? ????> ©`????â
