Predictive Factors for Early Breastmilk Discontinuation in Premature Infants: A Retrospective Study

The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by continuation of breastfeeding with introduction of complimentary foods for at least 1 year (1). There has been considerable success initiating breastfeeding in birth hospitals. This can largely be attributed to many beneficial programs, including the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” (2, 3). Despite the success with increasing breastfeeding rates in birth hospitals, only 58.3% of US infants received breast milk at 6 months of age and only 25.6% of US infants were exclusively breastfed at 6 months in 2019 (4).This discrepancy is even greater for the vulnerable population of premature infants who may experience unique barriers to breastfeeding (5, 6). Given this disparity, the focus of our research was to evaluate the duration of breastfeeding after premature infants were discharged from the hospital, and identify the possible risk factors associated with early breastfeeding discontinuation. If specific risk factors for early breastfeeding discontinuation are able to be established, then targeted interventions to help these mother-infant dyads could be implemented in order to prolong exposure to human milk and decrease short and long term risks for early cessation.