Stressful life events in pregnancy: A risk factor for exclusive breastfeeding among high-income mothers
Zanardo Vincenzo1, Sandri Andrea2, Giustardi Arturo3
1Division of Perinatal Medicine, Policlinic Abano Terme, Abano Terme, Italy.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine the association between prenatal stressful life events in pregnancy and breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration, defined according to the WHO.
Study Design:
Feeding practices were prospectively collected from 425 puerperae living in an industrialized area of Northeast Italy starting on the second day post-partum, when they filled out the Life Experience Survey (LES, 1978).
Results:
In this sample, analysis revealed that at discharge 65/358 (18.16 %) puerperae presented with a negative LES score and 293/358 (81.84 %) with a positive LES score. Puerperae with negative LES scores were more likely to adopt formula at discharge, either to complement breast milk or to substitute breast milk altogether (16/65; 24.62 % vs 43/293; 14.68 %; RR = 1.64 and 95 % CI: 1.01-2.70), and they were also more likely to adopt exclusive formula feeding at the 3rd month of life (8/48; 16.66 % versus 18/242; 7.44 %; RR = 2.03 and 95%CI: 1.06-3.86). At the 6th month of life, there were significantly less puerperae with a negative LES score who were breastfeeding exclusively (1/48; 2.08 vs 44/249; 17.67 %; RR = 0.11 and 95 % CI: 0.01-0.84) and correspondingly there were significantly more puerperae with a negative LES score who were using formula feeding with weaning practices (20/48; 41.67 % vs 35/249; 14.06 %; RR =3.14 and 95 % CI: 1.82-5.04).
Conclusions:
Identification of specific barriers to breastfeeding related to negative life events in pregnancy may help direct providers' anticipatory guidance to improve breastfeeding rates in high-risk populations.
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