Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing
ResearchFactors Associated With Breastfeeding Up To 6 Months Postpartum in Mothers With Diabetes
Section snippets
Background
Simmons, Conroy, and Thompson (2005) suggested strong commitment and high rates of successful breastfeeding in women who had type 2 diabetes and in women who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). They showed that the rate of breastfeeding in women who had diabetes was about 78% at discharge from hospital, although mothers with type 2 diabetes were less likely to breastfeed at the first feed or at discharge than mothers with GDM (41.4% vs. 68%, p=.01 and 69% vs. 84%, p=.04, respectively). Two
Methods
The current study included women who attended a combined obstetric/diabetic clinic in Derby City General Hospitals, UK, between September 2001 and August 2003. The data for 257 women with diabetes were available. Two hundred and thirty-five of the women had sufficiently detailed contact information and were asked to complete the retrospective questionnaire. Of these, 43 women were diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and 192 had GDM.
The invited women were known to have diabetes based on
Results
The total response rate was 40% (94/235). The women were divided into the following categories: 15 women with type 1 diabetes, 11 with type 2 diabetes, and 68 women with GDM. At the time of the survey, the average age of the infants was 21.5 months (SD=7, range=10-34 months). The data were analyzed in two stages. Interdiabetic group comparisons were analyzed, and logistic regression was performed in order to assess the predictors of breastfeeding at each postpartum measurement stage.
Table 1
Discussion
This is one of the few studies that provides information on the pattern of breastfeeding and attempts to explore factors that may influence breastfeeding rates up to 6 months postpartum in women with diabetes. The findings indicated that type of diabetes affected breastfeeding intentions and behavior, with women with GDM more likely to breastfeed than women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Women with type 1 diabetes expressed less intention to breastfeed than the other groups, and at almost all
Conclusion
In summary, the authors found that women with type 1 diabetes breastfed in lower proportions than the other women who have diabetes. Nevertheless, determination and willingness as well as ability to breastfeed were observed among all types of women with diabetes. At 6 months postpartum, the rates of breastfeeding were not significantly different among different diabetic groups. Similar to the general population, maternal BMI and socioeconomic status were significant contributing factors
Acknowledgment
The authors thank Fiona Dickinson, Karen Payne, Rachel Law, and John Kalk for assistance with study development and Jean Russell and Apostolos Fakis for statistical assistance.
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