Breastfeeding duration in mothers who express breast milk increase

Research done in two public maternity hospitals in Perth, Australia, between mid-September 2002 and mid-July 2003, studied mothers who express breast milk.

In these hospitals, 93.5% were breastfeeding at discharge. Mothers who expressed breast milk were less likely to discontinue any breastfeeding before six months than those who had never expressed milk.

The expression of breast milk allows a mother to be away intermittently from her infant while continuing to breastfeed. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between expression of breast milk and breastfeeding duration.

The conclusion of the study found that mothers who express breast milk are more likely to breastfeed to six months (any breastfeeding). While further research is required in different cultures to confirm these results, the appropriate use of expressed breast milk may be a means to help mothers to achieve six months of full breastfeeding while giving more lifestyle options.

http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/1/1/28

Tomorrow, we’ll look at statistics from the average breastfeeding duration.

See you tomorrow.