Exclusive breastfeeding to six months: Results from a randomised controlled trial including lactation consultant support

Abstract

To investigate the impact of lactation support on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) to 6 months, 804 mother‐infant pairs were randomised to 4 equal‐sized groups: 1) breastfeeding education and support, 2) infant sleep education, 3) both interventions, or 4) usual care. Certified lactation consultants (LC) delivered intervention sessions (ante‐natal, 1 week, 4 months postpartum) and were available on request to 6 months postpartum. Data on breastfeeding status and age at introduction of formula, other liquids, or complementary foods were collected at monthly interviews from 3 to 27 weeks postpartum. Exclusive breastfeeding was: “since birth, the infant had no food or drink, not even water, except breast milk or prescribed medicines”.At 6 months, 764 (93%) participants had known EBF status with 7.2% exclusively breastfeeding. No group differences in EBF rates were observed at 6 weeks, 4 months or 5.5 months (New Zealand recommendation is “around” 6 months) but marginal evidence of differences was found at 6 months of age (Wald test p=0.038). After adjusting for multiple comparisons, these differences were no longer statistically significant. Providing an LC at this intensity did not consistently improve EBF rates to 6 months of age in this highly educated sample. Future analysis will determine the effect of an LC on duration of any breastfeeding and timing of introduction of complementary foods.Funding source:Health Research Council of New Zealand.