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Evidence summaries

Support for Healthy Breastfeeding Mothers with Healthy Term Babies

All forms of extra support for breastfeeding appears to be effective for increasing the duration of partial and exclusive breastfeeding compared with usual care in mothers with healthy term babies. Level of evidence: "B"

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (unexplained heterogeneity).

Summary

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 116 studies with a total of 98 816 mother-infant pairs. All forms of extra support analysed together showed an increase in duration of 'any breastfeeding' (includes partial and exclusive breastfeeding) (table T1). All forms of extra support together also had a positive effect on duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Extra support by both lay and professionals had a positive impact on breastfeeding outcomes. Support can also be offered face-to-face, via telephone or digital technologies, or a combination.

Breastfeeding support only compared to usual care

OutcomeRelative effect (95% CI)Risk with usual careRisk with support (95% CI)of participants(studies) Certainty of the evidence
Stopping breastfeeding (any) at 6 monthsRR 0.93(0.89 to 0.97)600 per 1000558 per 1000(534 to 582)14610(30) Moderate
Stopping exclusive breastfeeding at 6 monthsRR 0.90(0.88 to 0.93)847 per 1000763 per 1000(746 to 788)16332(40) Moderate
Stopping exclusive breastfeeding at 4-6 weeksRR 0.83(0.76 to 0.90)518 per 1000430 per 1000(394 to 466)14544(42) Moderate
Stopping breastfeeding (any) at 3-4 monthsRR 0.87(0.81 to 0.93)462 per 1000402 per 1000(374 to 430)12054(32) Moderate
Stopping exclusive breastfeeding at 3-4 monthsRR 0.81(0.77 to 0.85)731 per 1000592 per 1000(563 to 621)11575(43) Moderate

However, another Cocrane review [Abstract] 2included 24 studies (10 056 women) assessing the effectiveness of antenatal breastfeeding education. There was no conclusive evidence supporting any antenatal breastfeeding education for improving initiation of breastfeeding, proportion of women giving any breastfeeding or exclusively breastfeeding at 3 or 6 months or the duration of breastfeeding.

Date of latest search:2023-04-24

    References

    • Gavine A, Shinwell SC, Buchanan P et al. Support for healthy breastfeeding mothers with healthy term babies. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2022;10(10):CD001141.[PubMed]
    • Lumbiganon P, Martis R, Laopaiboon M et al. Antenatal breastfeeding education for increasing breastfeeding duration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016;(12):CD006425. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords