Abstract
Background: A comprehensive breastfeeding assessment score (BAS) has been recently proposed to identify infants at risk for early cessation of breastfeeding. International guidelines for the infant feeding recommend exclusive breast-feeding during the first 4–6 months of age. This observational study assessed whether BAS evaluated at hospital discharge may be a useful tool to predict stopping exclusive breastfeeding within the first month of life.
Methods: A total of 175 mothers who delivered vaginally at the same hospital healthy full-term infants, and exclusively breastfed in the maternity ward, entered in the study. Mothers practiced 24 hours rooming in, breastfed on demand and started breastfeeding within the first hour of delivery. BAS was evaluated at hospital discharge. BAS includes maternal age (y) (<21, 21–24, >24), previous breastfeeding experience (failure, none, successful), latching difficulty (every feeding, half the feeding, <3 feeding), and breastfeeding interval (hours) (>6, 3–6, <3). Stopping exclusive breastfeeding during the first month of delivery was the outcome measure. Statistical analysis was based on the Mann-Whitney U test or the Chi-square test. Significance was posed at the level of P< 0.05.
Results: Mean (SD; median) length of hospital stay was 2.2 (0.2; 2.2) days. At 1 month of delivery 86.9% of babies were still exclusively breastfed; 6.3% were complementary breastfed and 6.9% formula fed. Mean (SD; median) BAS was 9 (1; 9) in mothers exclusively breastfeeding and 8 (1; 8.5) in mothers no more exclusively breastfeeding at 1 month of delivery (P= 0.021). No difference in BAS occurred between mothers who switched to complementary breastfeeding or stopped breastfeeding (P= 0.88). Mothers without previous successful breastfeeding experience (P= 0.001) or exhibiting higher latching difficulty (P= 0.001) were at risk for stopping exclusive breastfeeding. No significant association of stopping breastfeeding within 1 month was found with maternal age ((P= 0.885) or breastfeeding interval (P= 0.219).
Conclusion: BAS index may be an early and useful measure to predict exclusive breastfeeding failure. Supported by AISTMAR
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Giannì, M., Vegni, C., Ferraris, G. et al. 96 Usefulness of An Early Breastfeeding Assessment Score to Predict Exclusive Breastfeeding Failure. Pediatr Res 56, 480 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00119
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-200409000-00119