Lactation Outcomes After Participation in a Tailored Prenatal Nutrition Consultation Among Women With Infants With Congenital Anomalies

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe lactation outcomes among of a cohort of mother–infant dyads in which the women had an individualized prenatal nutrition consultation intervention. DesignDescriptive cohort study. SettingA free-standing children’s hospital with a center for fetal diagnosis and treatment and a specialized maternity unit. ParticipantsA total of 160 women who had prenatal nutrition consultations in 2014 to 2017 and gave birth to infants with known congenital anomalies and required intensive care after birth. MethodsWe surveyed women regarding their lactation outcomes after the Breastfeeding Report Card metrics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and obtained permission to abstract demographic and clinical information from the setting’s electronic health record. We analyzed data with standard descriptive statistics. ResultsAmong the cohort, 86.9% (n = 139) of participants intended to provide human milk or combination feeding in the prenatal period. A total of 128 (92.1%) infants were first exposed to human milk enterally. At the time of discharge, 92.1% (n = 128) of the infants received human milk. The breastfeeding outcomes of the cohort significantly surpassed national data: initiation (98.1% vs. 84.1% national), breastfeeding at 3 months (89.4%), exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months (60% vs. 46.9% national), breastfeeding at 6 months (76.9% vs. 58.3% national), exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months (45% vs. 25.6% national), breastfeeding at 12 months (50.6% vs. 35.3% national), and breastfeeding beyond 12 months (34.4%). ConclusionsLactation outcomes among women who had prenatal nutrition consultations far surpassed national data, and this intervention has implications for family-centered prenatal care, informed decision making, and improved breastfeeding outcomes in the hospital setting and postdischarge.