General Questions
Do I need to be exclusively breastfeeding to be part of this project?
No – as long as you are considering exclusively breastfeeding when you sign up, we invite you to participate. We understand that things can change.
How will this project affect my child?
The project shouldn’t affect your child in anyway. We absolutely want you to prioritize your child’s health first. If, at any time, you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, skip the prompt for that day/week. And remember you can leave the project at any time if you need to.
Will this project prevent me from supplementing my child with formula?
No. We understand how important sometimes it is to supplement and that breastfeeding plans can change. We encourage you to do what you need to do in the moment with regards to feeding your child.
How will this project affect me?
We hope that the project won’t affect you very much. We want you to do what you would normally being doing if you weren’t part of our project as much as possible. If, at any time, you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, skip the prompt for that day/week. And remember you can leave the study at any time if you need to.
Can I still join if I had my baby X weeks/months ago?
If you have already had your baby, you can still sign up as long as your baby is less than 2 weeks old and you are currently breastfeeding.
What are you going to do with my personal information?
Any identifying information will be removed from your answers and marked with an anonymized code. The key for that code is stored separately with some basic contact information in an encrypted file. None of your personal identifying details will be accessible to anyone beyond the principal researchers. Your privacy is very important to us
If Problems Occur
I am having technical problems with the project app. Who do I contact?
Send a quick email to ccvbreastfeedingproject@gmail.com for any technical issue during the project.
What if I change or lose my phone? What if I change phone numbers?
Please contact us as soon as you can, as it can affect your participance.
What if I move away?
As long as you still live in the California Central Valley, we hope you continue to participate. But if you are moving further away, unfortunately you will need to leave the study. Please be sure to contact us ccvbreastfeedingproject@gmail.com once/if you are planning to move.
Before the Project
When does the project begin?
Once you sign up, you will be contacted to schedule your training over Zoom and you can start participating right away.
How long is the project?
We start sending you surveys when your baby is ~4 days old and stop at 6 months.
Will I need access to the internet to participate?
Yes, you will need to be able to connect to the internet to download the project app during your training, as well as to submit your answer to the prompts on your smart phone or other device.
How often will I be contacted?
For the first month after you give birth, you get a notification on your smartphone once a day. Then after that, notifications will be once a week. We know you will be busy, so we keep the questions brief.
What do I have to do to be in the project?
It’s pretty easy, first sign up, then participate in a 1hr training over Zoom to get ready. After your baby is born, for the first month answer a few questions about your experiences each day when you get a notification on your smartphone. After that, from months 2-6, answer a few questions each week. And then you are done. Be sure to check out Study Details for more details
Will I be paid?
You can receive up to $70 in Amazon gift cards, if you complete most or all of the survey. For more details on compensation, check out Study Details.
What if I have to quit the study?
If you want to leave the project for any reason, we completely understand. You will still receive gift cards for your participation up to the point you want to leave. Please email us ccvbreastfeedingproject@gmail.com to let us know that you have to leave the project.
During the Project
How often will I be contacted?
For the first month after you give birth, you get a notification on your smartphone once a day. Then after that, notifications will be once a week. We know you will be busy, so we keep the questions brief.
Do I need to do anything different after the first month?
Nope, the app will handle the schedule change after the first month automatically. You will switch from getting notifications every day to notifications once a week.
What if I stop breastfeeding during the project?
We know that breastfeeding plans have to adapt to life so if you do stop breastfeeding entirely during the project and no plans to continue, please let us know by emailing ccvbreastfeedingproject@gmail.com, so we can close out your participation with one final brief survey. Also, we might reach out by email if it seems like you aren’t breastfeeding anymore from your answers to the surveys.
When will I be paid?
Gift card information is sent out by email monthly, based on your participation at that point.
What happens if I miss a notification?
We understand that you may not always be able to respond to the notification prompt right when it pops up. We ask that you to try to respond as soon as you can. You might get a reminder prompt from the app, just in case, but if the prompt is no longer available, it's okay. We just ask that you try and respond to as many as you can. If you respond to at least 80% of your total prompts there is an additional $10 bonus at the end of the project. If we haven’t heard from you in a couple prompts, we may check-in by email to see if you still want to be part of the project.
What if I don't want to answer some of the questions?
If you need to skip a question for whatever reason, you are free to do so. There is absolutely no penalty if you feel uncomfortable responding to certain questions.