Factors influencing full breastfeeding in a southwestern ontario community: assessments at 1 week and at 6 months postpartum.
Factors associated with full breastfeeding (FBF) at 1 week and at 6 months postpartum were examined in a cohort of 856 mother-infant dyads. Questionnaires were mailed at 4 time points over the first 6 months postpartum. At 1 week, 68% of infants were FBF; at 6 months, 23% were FBF. Factors significantly associated with FBF at 1 week were hospital of delivery, residing with a smoker, maternal shiftwork during pregnancy, and having no prior breast-feeding experience. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that residing with a smoker, having consumed caffeine during pregnancy, reporting elevated maternal trait anxiety at 1 week postpartum, having been employed full-time outside the home prior to delivery, and having received anesthesia/analgesia during labor/delivery were associated with earlier cessation of FBF, whereas not having previous breastfeeding experience predicted its continuation. Although most mothers are breastfeeding early on, a number of factors adversely affect its successful continuation.
Clifford
Tammy J
TJ
Epidemiology and Biotatistics, The University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Campbell
M Karen
MK
Speechley
Kathy N
KN
Gorodzinsky
Fabian
F
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D049590:Postpartum Period; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors