Abstract
Aims:
(1) To determine the likelihood of full breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum in women with and without diabetes in pregnancy (DiP); (2) to explore the associations between diabetes management practices and infant feeding practices in those who had DiP and (3) to examine women's experiences of feeding their infants after having DiP.
Methods:
The quantitative study used data from Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study. Participants who had DiP (n = 62) were matched 1:3 to participants without DiP for pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, mode of delivery and pre-term birth. Infant feeding questionnaires, prospective breastfeeding diaries and medical chart data were analysed to determine likelihood of fully breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. For the qualitative study, interviews were conducted with postpartum women who had DiP to explore the experiences of infant feeding. Interviews were thematically analysed, and the results were compared between women who were categorized as ‘full breast feeders’ or ‘mixed feeders’.
Results:
The odds of fully breastfeeding were 50% lower in women with DiP than women without DiP (OR: 0.50, 95% CI 0.25–0.99, p = 0.04). Qualitative interviews identified that although all women showed resilience in the face of infant feeding challenges, those who were fully breastfeeding reported seeking out external infant feeding supports, for example, classes or Doula's. Mixed Feeders perceived there was a lack of infant feeding information and support given to them prior to giving birth.
Conclusion:
Women with DiP may require additional prenatal and postnatal infant feeding support to be better prepared to overcome feeding challenges they may face.
(1) To determine the likelihood of full breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum in women with and without diabetes in pregnancy (DiP); (2) to explore the associations between diabetes management practices and infant feeding practices in those who had DiP and (3) to examine women's experiences of feeding their infants after having DiP.
Methods:
The quantitative study used data from Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) cohort study. Participants who had DiP (n = 62) were matched 1:3 to participants without DiP for pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, mode of delivery and pre-term birth. Infant feeding questionnaires, prospective breastfeeding diaries and medical chart data were analysed to determine likelihood of fully breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum. For the qualitative study, interviews were conducted with postpartum women who had DiP to explore the experiences of infant feeding. Interviews were thematically analysed, and the results were compared between women who were categorized as ‘full breast feeders’ or ‘mixed feeders’.
Results:
The odds of fully breastfeeding were 50% lower in women with DiP than women without DiP (OR: 0.50, 95% CI 0.25–0.99, p = 0.04). Qualitative interviews identified that although all women showed resilience in the face of infant feeding challenges, those who were fully breastfeeding reported seeking out external infant feeding supports, for example, classes or Doula's. Mixed Feeders perceived there was a lack of infant feeding information and support given to them prior to giving birth.
Conclusion:
Women with DiP may require additional prenatal and postnatal infant feeding support to be better prepared to overcome feeding challenges they may face.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e14635 |
| Journal | Diabetic medicine |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Early online date | 15 Jul 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Misita, D, Yamamoto, JM, Yuan, Y, Donovan, LE, Bell, RC, Jarman, M. An exploration of differences in infant feeding practices among women with and without diabetes in pregnancy: A mixed-methods study. Diabet Med. 2021; 00:e14635, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.14635. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.Funding: Funding for this project was provided by a Seed Grant from the Diabetes, Obesity and Nutrition Strategic Clinical Network within Alberta Health Services. The APrON study data collection was supported by a Team Grant (PI: Kaplan) from Alberta Innovates, Health Solutions. MJ was the recipient of a Postdoctoral Fellowship from Alberta Innovates. YY was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC RGPIN-2019-04862).
Keywords
- breastfeeding
- diabetes
- gestational diabetes mellitus
- pregnancy