Abstract

Background

Gestational anemia is a common pregnancy complication that affects approximately 40% of pregnant women globally. The health benefits of breastfeeding are widely acknowledged for both mothers and infants, and recognizing the factors that affect the duration and quality (exclusive / partial) of breastfeeding is therefore of great importance.

Methods

Women who participated in the FinnBrain Birth Cohort during 2011–2015 and whose hemoglobin levels were available in the third trimester (n = 1238) were included in this prospective study. The study group comprised women in the third trimester with an Hb < 110 g/l (n = 150), while women with an Hb ≥ 110 g/l served as the control group (n = 1088). The duration of breastfeeding was recorded as a categorical variable in line with the Finnish breastfeeding guidelines, which specify 4 months as the cut-off for exclusive breastfeeding, and as a continuous variable for exclusive and partial breastfeeding. Maternal and neonatal data were collected from the Medical Birth Register and self-reports. The data were adjusted for maternal education, parity, mode of delivery, and maternal depression.

Results

The median (range) duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 4 (0–6) months in the study group and 4 (0–10) months in the control group (p =.461). Among the women in the study group, 60% reached the recommended goal of exclusive breastfeeding of 4 months, while the proportion was 66% among the women in the control group (p =.185). The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was shorter among the women who suffered from depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) ≥ 12) three months postpartum. The duration of partial breastfeeding was 7 and 8 months in the study and control groups, respectively (p =.080).

Conclusions

In our prospective study cohort, gestational anemia in the third trimester did not associate with the duration and quality of breastfeeding after adjusting for confounding factors.

Details

Title
Effect of gestational anemia on breastfeeding– a prospective follow-up -study
Author
Kemppinen, Lotta; Mattila, Mirjami; Ekholm, Eeva; Perasto, Laura; Karlsson, Hasse; Mäkikallio, Kaarin; Karlsson, Linnea
Pages
1-8
Section
Research
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
BioMed Central
e-ISSN
14712393
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3216560099
Copyright
© 2025. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.