Maternal hospital experiences associated with breastfeeding at 6 months in a northern California county

Abstract

A retrospective cohort study of infant-feeding practices at 6 months of age was conducted for 382 breastfed infants in a semirural northern California county. The authors hypothesized that almost exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months would be related to maternal experiences in the hospital. Multiple logistic regression analysis, controlling for maternal age and education, found that almost exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was positively associated with receiving a telephone number for breastfeeding help from the hospital (odds ratio, 6.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.23-33.9), use of a breast pump in the first 6 months (odds ratio, 2.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-4.76), and gestational age (odds ratio, 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-4.71 for a 4-week age difference), whereas formula supplementation at the hospital had a negative association (odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.56). Making postpartum breastfeeding support easily accessible and offering breast pumps at low or no cost may help to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates in this county.