Receipt of Breast Milk by Gestational Age - United States, 2017

Area of Science:

• Neonatal nutrition
• Public health surveillance
• Infant feeding practices

Background:

• Breast milk is crucial for infant nutrition, especially for premature infants, offering protection against sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and promoting neurological development.
• Previous national estimates of newborn feeding practices stratified by gestational age were unavailable.
• Premature birth affects nearly 10% of infants in the U.S. annually.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide national estimates of breast milk receipt among infants by gestational age.
• To identify disparities in breast milk feeding based on maternal and infant characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 2017 birth certificate data from 48 states and the District of Columbia, covering 82.7% of all U.S. births.
• Stratification of infants into gestational age groups: extremely preterm (20-27 weeks), early preterm (28-33 weeks), late preterm (34-36 weeks), and term (≥37 weeks).
• Examination of breast milk receipt across various sociodemographic factors.

Main Results:

• Overall, 83.9% of infants received any breast milk.
• Breast milk receipt varied by gestational age: 71.3% for extremely preterm, 76.0% for early preterm, 77.3% for late preterm, and 84.6% for term infants.
• Significant disparities in breast milk receipt were observed based on maternal race/ethnicity and other sociodemographic factors.

Conclusions:

• A substantial proportion of infants, particularly those born prematurely and at high risk for complications, may not be receiving breast milk.
• Evidence-based policies and practices supporting breast milk feeding require enhanced implementation, especially for medically fragile infants.
• Addressing sociodemographic disparities is crucial to improve breast milk feeding rates for all infants.