Breastfeeding Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Descriptive Population Study

Introduction: There is little in the current literature regarding breastfeeding after a previous spinal cord injury (SCI). Potential concerns include challenges with let-down reflex and autonomic dysreflexia. This study aims to assess SCI- specific breastfeeding challenges as well as duration of breastfeeding in this population. Methods: This study is a subgroup analysis of a larger online international questionnaire distributed to women with SCI. Pregnancies following SCI resulting in live births >20 weeks were included. Demographic information, breastfeeding outcomes, and perceived support were assessed. Results: The recruitment rate was 85.4% (1,056/1,237) and completion rate was 73.8% (780/1,056). The pregnancies were from individuals with SCI levels C1-T9. 129/159 live births were followed by an attempt to breastfeed, and of these, 111 were successful in breastfeeding for a minimum of 2 weeks. Nine were affected by autonomic dysreflexia (AD). For 4/9 (44%) individuals, it was their first episode of AD. If a person had previous episodes of AD, there was a 2/52 (4%) chance of this being triggered by breastfeeding. In total, 28/210 (13%) had difficulty with let-down reflex (levels ranged from C4 to S1). Conclusions: Overall the majority of people who had a pregnancy following SCI attempted to and were successful in breastfeeding for at least 2 weeks. This outcome was regardless of the level of injury. Barriers in the form of AD or difficulty with let-down reflex were uncommon. This observational study should help encourage pregnant women post SCI and provide support for counseling by their health care providers.