Infant hospitalization and breastfeeding post-caesarean section.
BACKGROUND
Breastfeeding has been shown to protect infants from illness, but there is minimal published research on the relationship between illness and breastfeeding following caesarean delivery.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between post-caesarean breastfeeding and infant hospitalization in the first year of life.


METHODS
A retrospective cohort study of 468 term infants examined the relationship between infant hospitalizations and breastfeeding, using hospital admissions records and surveys from a post-caesarean breastfeeding intervention study in an Israeli hospital.


RESULTS
A significantly lower proportion of Jewish infants breastfed for at least 4 months (40%; 42) was hospitalized in the first year, compared with non-breastfed infants (60%; 62) (P = 0.003). Among the Muslim infants who were breastfed, a significantly lower proportion were hospitalized (33%; 35) than those who were not hospitalized (67%; 71) and a greater proportion of non-breastfed infants were hospitalized (80%; 8) than those who were not hospitalized (20%; 2) (P = 0.005, Fisher's exact test). In the logistic regression models, the significant variables decreasing the likelihood of hospitalization for Jewish infants were being born to a non-immigrant mother, higher maternal education, and being breastfed, and for Muslim infants the only significant variable was being breastfed.


CONCLUSIONS
Breastfeeding in post-caesarean women has a protective effect on infant health, as demonstrated by a decrease in illness-related hospitalizations in the first year of life.
Chertok
Ilana R
IR
West Virginia University, School of Nursing, Department of Health Promotion, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Shoham-Vardi
Ilana
I
D000328:Adult; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007514:Islam; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors