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. 2025 Jun 4;25(1):653.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07775-x.

Effect of gestational anemia on breastfeeding- a prospective follow-up -study

Lotta Kemppinen  1 , Mirjami Mattila  2 , Eeva Ekholm  2 , Laura Perasto  3   4 , Hasse Karlsson  3   5 , Kaarin Mäkikallio #  2 , Linnea Karlsson #  3   4   6   7
Affiliations

Effect of gestational anemia on breastfeeding- a prospective follow-up -study

Lotta Kemppinen et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: Gestational anemia is a common pregnancy complication that affects approximately 40% of pregnant women globally. The health benefits of breastfeeding are widely acknowledged for both mothers and infants, and recognizing the factors that affect the duration and quality (exclusive / partial) of breastfeeding is therefore of great importance.

Methods: Women who participated in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort during 2011-2015 and whose hemoglobin levels were available in the third trimester (n = 1238) were included in this prospective study. The study group comprised women in the third trimester with an Hb < 110 g/l (n = 150), while women with an Hb ≥ 110 g/l served as the control group (n = 1088). The duration of breastfeeding was recorded as a categorical variable in line with the Finnish breastfeeding guidelines, which specify 4 months as the cut-off for exclusive breastfeeding, and as a continuous variable for exclusive and partial breastfeeding. Maternal and neonatal data were collected from the Medical Birth Register and self-reports. The data were adjusted for maternal education, parity, mode of delivery, and maternal depression.

Results: The median (range) duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 4 (0-6) months in the study group and 4 (0-10) months in the control group (p =.461). Among the women in the study group, 60% reached the recommended goal of exclusive breastfeeding of 4 months, while the proportion was 66% among the women in the control group (p =.185). The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was shorter among the women who suffered from depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) ≥ 12) three months postpartum. The duration of partial breastfeeding was 7 and 8 months in the study and control groups, respectively (p =.080).

Conclusions: In our prospective study cohort, gestational anemia in the third trimester did not associate with the duration and quality of breastfeeding after adjusting for confounding factors.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Gestational anemia; Iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy; Maternal depression; Postpartum complications.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All the study participants provided their written informed consent. This study meets the ethical guidelines and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. The Ethics Committee of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland approved the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study on June 14, 2011 (protocol number: ETMK: 57/180/2011). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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