Early Term Delivery and Breastfeeding Outcomes

Lauren S. Keenan-Devlin, Yetunde F. Awosemusi, William Grobman, Hyagriv Simhan, Emma Adam, Jennifer Culhane, Gregory Miller, Ann E.B. Borders

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Higher rates of adverse outcomes have been reported for early term (37 0 to 38 6 weeks) versus full term (≥ 39 0 weeks) infants, but differences in breastfeeding outcomes have not been systematically evaluated. This study examined breastfeeding initiation and exclusivity in early and full term infants in a large US based sample. Methods: This secondary analysis included 743 geographically- and racially-diverse women from the Measurement of Maternal Stress Study cohort, and 295 women from a quality assessment at a hospital-based clinic in Evanston, IL. Only subjects delivering ≥ 37 weeks were included. Initiation of breastfeeding (IBF) and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) were assessed via electronic medical record review after discharge. Associations of IBF and EBF with early and full term delivery were assessed via univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among 872 women eligible for inclusion, 85.7% IBF and 44.0% EBF. Early term delivery was not associated with any difference in frequency of IBF (p = 0.43), but was associated with significantly lower odds of EBF (unadjusted OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.466, 0.803, p < 0.001). This association remained significant (adjusted OR 0.694, 95% CI 0.515, 0.935, p = 0.016) after adjusting for maternal diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cesarean delivery, maternal age, race/ethnicity, parity, Medicaid status, NICU admission, current smoking, and delivery hospital. Conclusions for Practice: Despite comparable breastfeeding initiation frequencies, early term infants were significantly less likely to be exclusively breastfed compared to full term infants. These data suggest that women with early term infants may benefit from counseling regarding the potential for breastfeeding difficulties as well as additional breastfeeding support after delivery.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1339-1347
Number of pages9
JournalMaternal and child health journal
Volume23
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Breastfeeding
  • Breastfeeding initiation
  • Disparities
  • Early term
  • Exclusive breastfeeding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Early Term Delivery and Breastfeeding Outcomes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this