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Maternal and pediatric nutrition

The association between caesarean delivery and the initiation and duration of breastfeeding: a prospective cohort study in China

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 72, pages 1644–1654 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

Breastfeeding is of great benefit to infants and their mothers. Caesarean delivery (CD) have increased worldwide in recent years and emerging evidence has implied that CD may influence the initiation and duration of breastfeeding. However, the findings are inconsistent and intricate. The aim of this study is to illuminate the association between the CD and the initiation and duration of breastfeeding in the first 6 months postpartum.

Subjects/methods

A total of 2058 mother–infant pairs were studied in this prospective study. Delivery information was obtained from birth records. Feeding information in the first 6 months postpartum were collected from face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between CD and the initiation and duration of breastfeeding.

Results

After adjustment for potential confounders, CD was significantly associated with the unsuccessful initiation of breastfeeding [odds ratio (OR): 1.943, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.050–3.597] and delayed initiation of breastfeeding [OR: 1.450, (95% CI: 1.041–2.019)], when compared with vaginal delivery (VD). More importantly, for mothers who had initiated breastfeeding, CD was associated with significantly higher risks of an inability to sustain full breastfeeding (OR: 1.369, 95% CI: 1.128–1.662), any breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum (OR: 1.715, 95% CI: 1.265–2.325) and any breastfeeding at 6-month postpartum (OR: 1.462, 95% CI: 1.174–1.820).

Conclusions

CD is an independent risk factor for the inability to initiate and sustain breastfeeding. It is desirable to reduce the CD rate and provide specific breastfeeding support during early postpartum period to CD mothers.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge all participants who participated in this study. We are sincerely grateful to the staff at Jiangan Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Wuhan for their support of this project. We would also like to thank all members of the TMCHC Study Group.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Program on Basic Research Project of China (No. 2013FY114200).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Hubei Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, MOE Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China

    Yuanjue Wu, Yan Wang, Junmei Huang, Zhen Zhang, Liping Hao, Nianhong Yang & Xuefeng Yang

  2. Jiangan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Wuhan, 430014, Hubei, China

    Jing Wang, Li Zhou & Zemin Ni

  3. Jiangan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, 430014, Hubei, China

    Jing Wang

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  1. Yuanjue Wu
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Correspondence to Nianhong Yang or Xuefeng Yang.

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Wu, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, J. et al. The association between caesarean delivery and the initiation and duration of breastfeeding: a prospective cohort study in China. Eur J Clin Nutr 72, 1644–1654 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0127-9

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