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Breast-feeding duration longer among bedsharing mothers
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Longer duration of breast-feeding is associated with frequent bedsharing between a mother and infant; however, there is a risk for sudden infant death syndrome, according to recent study findings published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Researchers evaluated data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, which included pregnant women who were given questionnaires and followed through the first year of the infant’s life. In all, 1,846 mothers were breast-feeding at infant age 2 weeks and completed at least one question on bedsharing .
The often bedsharing group had the longest durations of any and exclusive breast-feeding. Duration of breast-feeding was intermediate in the moderate bedsharing group and shortest in the rare and non-bedsharing group. Mothers who were better educated, white, had breast-fed previously, planned to breast-feed and had not gone back to work within the first year after their child’s birth had longer durations of breast-feeding.
“Parents need to know that bedsharing may make breast-feeding easier to maintain and therefore it is tempting for them to do it,” the researchers wrote. “On the other hand, they deserve to know that it comes with a risk to their infant’s safety. Health professionals need to address these two sides when educating parents, so that informed decisions can be made.”
Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
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