141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

281119
Relationship between social support and the initiation and success of breast milk expression among mothers of premature infants at social-environmental risk

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Camille Fabiyi, MPH, PhD Candidate , School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kristin M. Rankin, PhD , School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Rosemary White-Traut, PhD , College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kathleen F. Norr, PhD , Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, Chicago, IL
Background: Premature infants often require gavage feeding initially. Infants benefit from receiving expressed human breast milk (BM) during gavage feedings, but expressing BM is difficult for new mothers. Little is known about social support and success in BM expression among mothers of premature infants.

Methods: Maternal interview data and daily infant data on proportion of nutrition from BM during hospitalization were analyzed from a larger randomized trial testing a developmental intervention on 181 mother-premature infant dyads with at least two of ten social-environmental risks. Multivariable log-binomial regression examined the relationship between social support (PRQ-2000; dichotomized as low for lowest quartile), initiation (Any BM expressed vs. None), and success in BM expression (Mothers with babies consuming less than 30% BM during hospitalization were categorized as Low). All models adjusted for race, language preference, age-appropriate education, hospital site, infant morbidity at delivery, and gestational age.

Results: 70.3% of mothers initiated BM expression, and 32% of those mothers expressed low proportions of BM. In adjusted multivariable analyses, social support did not differ between mothers who initiated BM expression and those who did not (p > 0.10). Low social support was significantly associated with low proportions of BM expressed for those who initiated (adjusted Prevalence Ratio: 1.58, 95% CI = 1.00 – 2.50).

Conclusions: Low social support was significantly associated with low proportions of BM expressed during hospitalization among a sample of socially-disadvantaged mothers of premature infants. Interventions designed to enhance social support for new mothers of premature infants may increase long-term breastfeeding success.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the relationship between social support and the initiation and success of breast milk expression among socially disadvantaged mothers of premature infants

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Maternal Well-Being

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the project director on this federally-funded multi-site research, which is assessing the impact of a developmental intervention on mother-premature infant dyads. I also have research interests in maternal and child health, particularly maternal health behaviors, birth outcomes, psycho-social & social determinants of health, and international women’s health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.