Breastfeeding Duration and Exclusivity Among Early-Term and Full-Term Infants: A Cohort Study

Background: As compared to full-term infants (39-41 weeks of gestation), early-term infants (37-38 wk) are at increased risk of adverse outcomes, including shorter exclusive breastfeeding (EB) duration and continued breastfeeding.Objectives: To compare early-term with full-and late-term infants regarding the prevalence of EB at 3 mo and any breastfeeding at 12 mo. Methods: Data sets from two population-based birth cohorts conducted in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, were combined. Only term infants (37 0/7 through 41 6/7 weeks of gestation) were included in the analyses. Early-term infants (37 0/7 through 38 6/7 wk) were compared to the remaining term infants (39 0/7 through 41 6/7 wk). Information on breastfeeding was gathered through maternal interviews at the 3-mo and 12-mo follow-ups. The prevalence of EB at 3 mo and any breastfeeding at 12 mo with 95% CIs were calculated. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) were obtained through Poisson regression.Results: A total of 6395 infants with information on gestational age and EB at 3 mo and 6401 infants with information on gestational age and any breastfeeding at 12 mo were analyzed. There was no difference between early-term infants and the remaining term infants regarding the prevalence of EB at 3 mo (29.2% and 27.9%, respectively) (P = 0.248). Prevalence of any breastfeeding at 12 mo was lower in early-term infants than among those born between 39 0/7 and 41 6/7 weeks of gestation (38.2% compared with 42.4%) (P = 0.001). In the adjusted analysis, the PR for any breastfeeding at 12 mo was 15% lower in the early-term group than in the remaining term infants (PR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.76-0.95) (P = 0.004).Conclusions: The prevalence of EB at 3 mo was similar among term infants. Nonetheless, in comparison with the remaining infants born at term, early-term infants were at increased risk of having been weaned before reaching 12 mo of age. Curr Dev Nutr 2023;xx:xx.

Automated summary

Compared to full-term infants, early-term infants have a higher risk of shorter exclusive breastfeeding duration and lower prevalence of any breastfeeding at 12 months. The study found that there was no difference in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months between early-term infants and full-term infants, but early-term infants had a lower prevalence of any breastfeeding at 12 months. These findings indicate the increased risk of early weaning among preterm infants.