Previous breastfeeding experience and breastfeeding duration among multiparous Hong Kong mothers

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the duration of breastfeeding with a previous child on the duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding with a subsequent infant. From a cohort of 1417 mother-infant pairs, we included only those participants who had delivered at least one previous live infant and for whom the previous duration of breastfeeding was recorded (n=511). The two outcome variables were the duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding with the current infant. The main predictor variable was the duration of previous breastfeeding. Participants were categorized into three groups according to the median duration of previous breastfeeding: no previous breastfeeding, breastfed for <=12 weeks, and breastfed for >12 weeks. We used Cox regression to assess the impact of previous breastfeeding experience on the current duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding. Only 17% (n=87) of participants had not previously breastfed, 43.3% (n=221) had breastfed for <=12 weeks, and 39.7% (n=203) had breastfed for >12 weeks. After controlling for known confounders, having no previous breastfeeding experience (HR=3.13; 95% CI 2.33, 4.20) and having previously breastfed for <=12 weeks (HR=2.56; 95% CI 2.01, 3.26) were both significantly associated with a higher risk of early weaning. Mothers with a longer duration of breastfeeding are more likely to repeat that breastfeeding experience with subsequent children. Multiparous mothers who plan to breastfeed but who have not had previous breastfeeding experience or who have had previously unsuccessful breastfeeding experiences should receive additional pre- and post-natal breastfeeding support.