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The relationship between pregnancy planning and breastfeeding duration

Abstract:

This exploratory study, using a convenience sample of 102 primiparous women in New Zealand, examined the relationship between pregnancy planning and duration of breastfeeding. These women, who had chosen to exclusively breastfeed their infants, responded to a two-part survey: Part I self administered on the day of discharge from hospital; Part II completed during a telephone interview at 6 weeks postpartum. Results: No relationship was found between planning of pregnancy and duration of exclusive breastfeeding. At 6 weeks postpartum, 66 (65%) were exclusively breastfeeding and 34 (35%) were not. Women who had completed 12th grade were significantly more likely to exclusively breastfeed at 6 weeks postpartum than women who had not completed high school (X2 = 5.38, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Although a relationship between planning of pregnancy and breastfeeding has been found in previous studies in the United States, it was not found in this small and potentially unrepresentative group of breastfeeding women in one New Zealand setting. One reason may have been that all the women in this study had already chosen to breastfeed. The relationship between level of education and exclusive breastfeeding at 6 weeks is not well recognised. Further research is recommended to address the issue of increased breastfeeding support for women with lower levels of education.

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breastfeeding and level of education, breastfeeding duration, pregnancy planning