FIG. 1.

Conceptual model of breastfeeding challenges facing preterm mother-infant dyad—A model presenting four major elements, maternal behavioral and nutritional care and infant non-nutritional and nutritional growth/development, making up the preterm mother-infant dyad with examples of external factors that may impact mother-infant breastfeeding interactions. The bilateral interactions (solid line arrows) between maternal and infant elements represent the reciprocal impact that each partner's actions may have on the other, be they beneficial or detrimental. The external factors (unidirectional dashed arrows) have a unidirectional impact on mother and/or infant as they are not controlled by the dyad, be they beneficial or detrimental