Natsuko Wood

Biography

Dr. Wood possesses the expertise to address physiological and clinical breastfeeding challenges, drawing from her clinical background as a registered nurse in the United States  and a registered nurse and midwife in Japan. Her advanced research training at the University of Washington (PhD) and as a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) pre-doctoral fellow (TL1) focused on the design and evaluation of the home-based “Protecting Your Ability to Breastfeed Your Baby” (PABB) program, which targets perceived insufficient milk through unrestricted direct breastfeeding. She used the results from the initial PABB study to develop the Breastfeeding Relationship Scale (BFRS), a validated psychometric instrument assessing mutual responsiveness and milk supply self-efficacy. The BFRS has been translated into Turkish and Chinese, with a Japanese translation currently underway.

Education

• Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• MSN Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
• BSN Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

Research Interests
Breastfeeding Relationships
Direct Breastfeeding
Perceived Insufficient Milk

Methodological Strengths
Mixed Methods
Translational Research

Areas of Expertise
Maternal Child Health Nursing
Breastfeeding

Research & Scholarship

• Moderators and Mediators of Maternal Alcohol Resumption and Infant Weight Trajectories: A Post-Hoc Secondary Analysis
  Funding: Sigma Local Chapter (Original study funded by Sigma Theta Tau International Small Grant).
• Translation and Psychometric Analysis of the Japanese Version of the Breastfeeding Relationship Scale (BFRS-J)
  Status: Active (Data collection phase).
  Funding: Iwate Prefectural University, Japan.

Memberships

• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Delta Chi-at-Large Chapter
• Western Institute of Nursing (WIN)

Selected Publications

• Wood, N. K., & Nii-Ayitey, J. (2026). Beyond the Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis of
  Work Location on Breastfeeding Relationships, Maternal Emotions, and Exclusive Breastfeeding. Western Journal of Nursing Research. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/01939459261462458
• Wood, N. K. (2026). Case Report of Changes in Breastfeeding and Alcohol Consumption
  During the First 6 Months, Nursing for Women’s Health. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.nwh.2026.04.001
• Wood, N. K., Helfrich-Miller, K. R., & Dyer, A. M. (2026). Breastfeeding When Mothers
  Return to Work from Home. MCN, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. Advance online publication. doi:10.1097/NMC.0000000000001219
• Wood, N. K. & Helfrich-Miller, K. R. (2025). Changes in Breastfeeding Relationships When Frontline Essential Working Mothers Return to Work during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Longitudinal Qualitative Online Study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 0, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16793
• Wood, N. K., Helfrich-Miller, K. R., & Dyer, A. M. (2024). A longitudinal study of
  Breastfeeding Relationships at home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A grounded theory method. Journal of Advanced Nursing, http://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16219
• Wood, N. K. & Bindler, R. J. (2023). A Videoconferencing Verification Method for Enrollment of Breastfeeding Dyads to an Online Prospective Mixed Methods Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 00, 1-7. http://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15981 Open access.
• Wood, N. K., Penders, R. A., Dryer, A. M. (2023). Breastfeeding Disparities among Rural Breastfeeding Dyads in High Income Countries: A Scoping Study. Breastfeeding Medicine, 18(11), 805-821. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2023.0111
• Wood, N. K., Barbosa-Leiker, C., Odom-Maryon, T. (2023). Determinants of Exclusive Direct Breastfeeding Using Constructs from the Breastfeeding Relationship Scale. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. doi: 10.1080/02646838.2023.2191113
• Wood, N. K., Odom-Maryon, T. & Smart, D.A. (2022). Factors associated with exclusive direct breastfeeding in the first three months. Nursing for Women’s Health, 26(4), 299-307. doi: 10.1016/j.nwh.2022.05.006
• Wood, N. K., Barbosa-Leiker, C., Odom-Marion, T., Kantrowitz-Gordon, I., Reifsnider, E., & Helfrich-Miller, K, R. (2021). Instrument development and psychometric validation using confirmatory factor analysis of the Breastfeeding Relationship Scale, Journal of Nursing Measurement, JNM-D-20-00139. doi: 10.1891/JNM-D-20-00139.
• Wood, N. K., Odom-Maryon, T., & Denise, A. S. (2021). Factors Associated with Perceived Insufficient Milk in the First Three Months. MCN, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 46(4), 223-229. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000723
• Wood, N. K., & Lewis, F. M. (2019) A feasibility study of a home-based program to promote perceived adequate milk. Journal of Woman’s Reproductive Health, 2, 20-34. doi: 10.14302/issn.2381-862X.jwrh-19-2617.
• Wood, N. K. (2019). Home-Based interventions in a case of first latch at 27 days. Nursing for Women’s Health, 23,135-140. doi: 10.1016/j.nwh.2019.01.004.
• Wood, N. K., & Woods, N. F. (2018). Outcome measures in interventions that enhance breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity: A systematic review. MCN, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 43, 341-347. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0000000000000472.
• Wood, N. K. & Sanders, E. A. (2018). Mothers with perceived insufficient milk: Preliminary evidence of home interventions to boost mother-infant interactions. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 40, 1184-1202. doi:10.1177/0193945916687552
• Wood, N. K., Sanders, E. A., Lewis, F. M., Woods, N. F., & Blackburn, S. T. (2017). Pilot test of a home-based program to prevent perceived insufficient milk. Women Birth, 30, 472-480. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2017.04.006
• Wood, N. K., Woods, N. F., Blackburn, S. T., & Sanders, E. A. (2016). Interventions that enhance breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity: A systematic review. MCN, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 41, 299-307. doi: 10.1097/NMC.00000000000264

 

updated 08/05/26