Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the association between exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus and growth trajectory from birth to 5 years and to test whether breastfeeding influences this association among children exposed and unexposed to gestational diabetes.
Study design: Weight at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months and 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were retrospectively collected for 103 children exposed and 63 children unexposed to gestational diabetes. Weight-for-age z-score was calculated. Mixed linear model for repeated measurements were computed to test whether breastfeeding was associated differently with weight-for-age z-score of children exposed or unexposed to diabetes.
Results: Children exposed to gestational diabetes had greater z-score values at 6 months and 4 and 5 years (p < 0.10). Breastfeeding duration was not associated with weight-for-age z-score trajectory in any children.
Conclusion: Children exposed to gestational diabetes had a different growth trajectory in early life, but breastfeeding duration did not seem to influence this association.