Breastfeeding Characteristics and Duration of Feeding Human Milk in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

Background: Although infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are able to breastfeed successfully, the factors that affect feeding human milk across the first year are not well established. Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine breastfeeding characteristics and their relationships to the exclusivity and duration of feeding human milk among infants with CHD. Methods: Breastfeeding characteristics data from a cohort of 75 infants with CHD enrolled in a study that examined relationships among milk type and infant growth in the first year of life were analyzed. Results: Infants whose mothers reported not having enough milk were exclusively fed human milk for a shorter duration than those who did not have this challenge (P = .04); however, the duration of feeding any human milk did not differ (P = .18). Average daily volume expressed at 1 month was positively related to the duration of exclusive human milk (β = .07, P = .04) and any human milk (β = .07, P = .04) feeding. Conclusions: Future efforts to support feeding human milk in infants with CHD should emphasize practices that support maximal human milk production.