The impact of jaundice in newborn infants on the length of breastfeeding

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the breastfeeding prevalence among infants aged three and six months who were previously hospitalized because of hyperbilirubinemia, and to determine whether jaundice in newborn infants increases the risk of breastfeeding discontinuation.

Method: Surveys were mailed to mothers of all eligible infants admitted over a two-and-a-half year period to the paediatric ward of a tertiary care children's hospital with a diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia. A total of 127 mother-patient pairs were included in the study. Breastfeeding rates at three and six months were compared with those of a city-wide survey (Infant Care Survey) conducted by Ottawa's Public Health Department. Risk factors for early breastfeeding discontinuation were examined.

Results: Breastfeeding rates at three and six months were not different between the study group and those reported in the Infant Care Survey (75.5% in the study group versus 71.2% in the Infant Care Survey group, at three months; and 59.1% in the study group versus 50.8% of the Infant Care Survey group, at six months). None of the previously reported risk factors for early weaning had an impact on breastfeeding duration in the study population.

Conclusion: Breastfeeding rates following the discharge of infants diagnosed with jaundice were not significantly different from those reported for the general population. Different patient characteristics may have inflated the breastfeeding rates in the study population, as evidenced by a very high education level among the mothers of enrolled patients. Larger prospective studies in diverse populations are needed to determine the rates of early breastfeeding discontinuation in jaundiced infants.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Hyperbilirubinemia; Infants; Jaundice.