Breastfeeding in the first six months of life for babies seen by Lactation Consulting.
Bruna Alibio Moraes, Juliana Karine Rodrigues Strada, Vanessa Aparecida Gasparin and 3 others
PMID 33852684WHAT IT FOUND
Among 158 pairs followed to 180 days, only 12.7% of babies were still exclusively breastfed.
Pacifier use, trouble breastfeeding after discharge, getting help for trouble, maternal age 35 or more, and smoking in pregnancy were linked with earlier stopping exclusive breastfeeding.
Key findings
01Among 158 pairs with complete follow-up to 180 days, only 12.7% of babies were still exclusively breastfed, and 36.1% had already been weaned.
02The probability of exclusive breastfeeding fell from 74% at 15 days to 19.6% at 180 days.
03Pacifier use after discharge, breastfeeding difficulty after discharge, seeking professional help for breastfeeding difficulty, maternal age 35 years or older, and smoking during pregnancy were associated with higher risk of exclusive breastfeeding interruption before 180 days.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
73 of 231 pairs (31.6%) were lost to telephone follow-up by 180 days. 158 pairs completed follow-up. The study was done at one hospital and only included pairs already seen by lactation consultants, so it may not represent all mother-baby pairs. It is an observational cohort, so the factors are associations with earlier exclusive breastfeeding interruption, not proof that changing them will prolong breastfeeding. The authors note possible memory bias because feeding events were reported between follow-up calls. The lactation consultant team included two nurses and one nutritionist, so the paper cannot separate the contribution of any single component of the support. The sample included only babies at 37 weeks gestation or more and birth weight 2,500 grams or more, and it excluded twins, pairs with breastfeeding contraindications, and pairs separated after breastfeeding started.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pacifier use caused exclusive breastfeeding to stop. This was an observational cohort of pairs already receiving lactation consultant support, and pacifier use after discharge was only associated with earlier interruption. The paper states that the mechanism is not settled and that pacifier use may be a marker of difficulty rather than a cause.