Breastfeeding Takes Center Stage in Wales During Pandemic

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During the COVID-19 era in Wales, breastfeeding rates at six months witnessed a rise compared to the pre-pandemic period, increasing from 16.6 percent before the pandemic to 20.5 percent in 2020 ().

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's life. However, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.

Impact of the Pandemic on Breastfeeding

To better understand this issue, Born in Wales researchers based in Swansea's National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research aimed to examine the impact of the pandemic on breastfeeding uptake and duration. The team also investigated whether a mother's intention to breastfeed influenced the length of time she exclusively breastfed her baby.

‘Women who expressed an intention to breastfeed were 27.6 times more likely to continue exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months. #breastfeeding #breastfeedingweek’

Their findings have just been published online by the BMJ. The study analysed anonymised data from the SAIL Databank, linking information from the Maternal Indicators (MIDS) dataset and the National Community Child Health (NCCH) Births and Breastfeeding dataset.

The team examined two sets of responses to explore the connection between breastfeeding intentions and duration. The first set came from the Born in Wales Survey, which asked expectant mothers about how they planned to feed their baby.

The second set, from the MIDS data, documented mothers' intentions after giving birth. By comparing responses from the two sources, the researchers could explore how a mother's intentions during pregnancy and postpartum influenced breastfeeding.
Key findings from the study include:

1. Intention to breastfeed was strongly associated with a higher likelihood of exclusively breastfeeding for six months.
2. Breastfeeding rates at six months were higher during COVID-19 compared to the pre-pandemic period.
3. Black mothers were significantly more likely to exclusively breastfeed for six months than mothers of other ethnicities.

Based on its findings, the study proposes targeted interventions during pregnancy to encourage motivation and intention to breastfeed and the development of policies and support systems to enable families to spend more time with their babies. Measures such as maternal and paternal leave can contribute to improved breastfeeding duration.

Reference:

1. Breastfeeding initiation and duration through the COVID-19 pandemics - (https:bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001907.full)

Source: Eurekalert