title: Association between home birth and breast feeding outcomes: a cross-sectional study in 28 125 mother-infant pairs from Ireland and the UK.
abstract: To examine the association between breast feeding outcomes and place of birth (home vs hospital birth).
  
  
  
  Population-based cross-sectional study.
  
  
  
  Ireland and UK.
  
  
  
  10 604 mother-infant pairs from the Growing Up in Ireland study (GUI, 2008-2009) and 17 521 pairs from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (UKMCS, 2001-2002) at low risk of delivery complications were included in the study.
  
  
  
  Breast feeding initiation, exclusivity and duration.
  
  
  
  Home birth was found to be significantly associated with breast feeding at all examined time points, including at birth, 8 weeks, 6 months and breast feeding exclusively at 6 months. In GUI, adjusted OR was 1.90 (95% CI 1.19 to 3.02), 1.78 (1.18 to 2.69), 1.85 (1.23 to 2.77) and 2.77 (1.78 to 4.33), respectively, and in UKMCS it was 2.49 (1.84 to 3.44), 2.49 (1.92 to 3.26), 2.90 (2.25 to 3.73) and 2.24 (1.14 to 4.03).
  
  
  
  Home birth was strongly associated with improved breast feeding outcomes in low-risk deliveries. While the association between home birth and breast feeding is unlikely to be directly causal, further research is needed to determine which factor(s) drive the observed differences, to facilitate development of perinatal care that supports breast feeding.
authors: Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Clare
authors: C
authors: Quigley
authors: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Taut
authors: Department of Paediatrics, "Sestre Milosrdnice" University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Tamara
authors: T
authors: Zigman
authors: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Louise
authors: L
authors: Gallagher
authors: Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Harry
authors: H
authors: Campbell
authors: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Lina
authors: L
authors: Zgaga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006700:Home Childbirth / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007494:Ireland; D008423:Maternal Age; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: UK; breast feeding; delivery; developed countries; home birth