Aim: The aims of this study were to analyze the relationship between the LATCH score assessed in the first 24 hours after delivery and non-exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and to identify a cutoff for the LATCH score in order to identify women with higher risk of non-exclusive breastfeeding who may need additional breastfeeding support.
Subjects and methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in the Maternity Ward of the Institute for Maternal and Child Health "Burlo Garofolo" (Trieste, Italy) and collected data from 299 mother-infant dyads.
Results: The rate of nonexclusive breastfeeding was inversely related to the LATCH score (p<0.001) with non-exclusive breastfeeding infants scoring less (6.9) than infants exclusively breastfed at discharge (7.6) (p=0.001). In multivariate analysis, non-exclusive breastfeeding was also associated with cesarean section, primiparity, and infant phototherapy. In order to support maternity staff in providing targeted interventions, we identified four LATCH score cutoffs associated with as many risk groups for non-exclusive breastfeeding at discharge.
Conclusions: The LATCH score is a useful tool to identify mother-infant pairs who might benefit from additional skilled support in specific subgroups at risk of non-exclusive breastfeeding at discharge. Future research is needed to explore if the LATCH score assessed in the first days of life can also predict the duration of breastfeeding.