Objective: To examine breastfeeding exclusivity and intensity of early term (ET) infants, born at 37-38 weeks, and term infants, born at 39-41 weeks, during the postpartum hospitalization and the first month of life. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of 358 mothers of ET and term infants during the first 72 hours after birth and at 1 month of age. Logistic analysis was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and control for confounding variables. Results: ET infants had significantly lower breastfeeding in the first hour (aOR = 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.21-0.87), lower exclusive breastfeeding in the hospital and at 1 month (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.27-0.71 and aOR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.22-0.71), and lower rates of high breastfeeding intensity in the hospital and at 1 month (aOR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.22-0.71 and aOR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.15-0.72), after controlling for confounding variables. ET infants had more emergency room (ER) visits in the first month (OR = 7.6, 95% CI = 1.01-60.6), and all ET infants who had ER visits were exclusively breastfed. Conclusions: ET infants had lower breastfeeding in the hospital and at 1 month. They should be regarded as a group at risk for breastfeeding challenges and infant morbidity.
Keywords: breastfeeding; breastfeeding intensity; early term infants; exclusive breastfeeding.