Background: Although breastfeeding confers significant benefits to infants, women with diabetes in pregnancy experience unique nutrition and health challenges, which may influence infant feeding practice. This study aimed to determine the association between nutrition and exercise behaviors of women with diabetes in pregnancy and breastfeeding at birth and 6 months. Methods: A secondary data analysis of a longitudinal study on maternal pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) and gestational diabetes (GDM) and infant development was conducted. Women self-reported engaging in nutrition behaviors, such as using meal plans, and exercise health behaviors. Primary outcomes were exclusive breastfeeding at birth and any breastfeeding at 6 months. Logistic regression models adjusted for significant maternal-infant covariates. Results: Of n = 48 women with diabetes in pregnancy, 94% had GDM and 6% had pregestational type 1 or type 2 DM. Forty percent of women exclusively breastfed at birth and 68% partially or exclusively breastfed at 6 months (of n = 34 with complete 6-month data). Women who cooked their own meals had two times greater adjusted odds of exclusive breastfeeding at birth (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-5.11), and women who exercised during pregnancy had seven times greater adjusted odds of any breastfeeding at 6 months (AOR = 7.2, 95% CI = 1.10-42.8). Conclusion: Nutrition and exercise behaviors were associated with exclusive breastfeeding at birth and any breastfeeding at 6 months. Health behaviors to effectively manage diabetes during pregnancy may inform efforts to improve breastfeeding initiation and duration, and future studies in a larger sample are needed.
Keywords: breastfeeding; gestational diabetes; health behaviors; infant feeding; maternal diabetes; prenatal exercise.