Impact of intention to become pregnant on breastfeeding in the first postpartum hour

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the impact of the intention to become pregnant on breastfeeding within the first hour after delivery. This is a cross-sectional study nested in the research “Birth in Brazil: national survey into labor and birth” carried out by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the data of 5,563 puerperae and their newborns who participated in the study. The following women evidenced a lower propensity to begin breastfeeding in the first hour of life: puerperae who did not wish to become pregnant (OR = 0.85; CI: 0.73-0.98) and who were dissatisfied upon learning that they had become pregnant (OR = 0.72; CI: 0.61-0.83). The intentionality of pregnancy affected maternal breastfeeding behavior so that women with unintended pregnancies were less likely to initiate breastfeeding in the first hour postpartum, thus evidencing that inadequate family planning may indirectly harm breastfeeding. Therefore, the quality of family planning services should be improved to reduce unintended pregnancies and prevent unfavorable outcomes for mother-and-child health, such as the late onset of breastfeeding.