Breastfeeding self-efficacy predicts breastmilk feeding in preterm infants at discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit.
Meredith Brockway, Samantha Mcleod, Jana Kurilova and 3 others
PMID 36527730WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of preterm infants who reported higher breastfeeding confidence at NICU admission were more likely to give only breastmilk at discharge.
Diabetes and being born outside Canada lowered that likelihood.
Key findings
01Higher breastfeeding confidence at admission was associated with exclusive breastmilk feeding at discharge.
02For each one-point increase on the breastfeeding confidence scale, the odds of exclusive breastmilk feeding at discharge increased by a factor of 1.04.
03Mothers born outside Canada were 67.4% less likely to provide exclusive breastmilk at discharge than mothers born in Canada, and mothers without diabetes were over three times more likely than mothers with diabetes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 221 of the 306 mothers enrolled in the standard-care group were analysed, because 85 had missing data. Mothers who did not intend to breastfeed were not assessed for breastfeeding confidence and were not included. Feeding at discharge was based on 24-hour maternal recall, which may miss feeding patterns before discharge. Previous breastfeeding experience was not measured; parity was used as a proxy. The sample was relatively homogenous, with many mothers having postsecondary education, higher income, and partnered status, so results may not apply to all mothers of preterm infants. The study is observational, so it shows association, not that confidence caused exclusive feeding.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions, and the primary author received student and knowledge translation support. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that boosting breastfeeding confidence will increase exclusive breastmilk feeding. This paper measured an association at admission and discharge; it did not test a confidence-building intervention.