Association of Full Breastfeeding Duration with Postpartum Weight Retention in a Cohort of Predominantly Breastfeeding Women
by
Muna J. Tahir 1,*
, Jacob L. Haapala 1, Laurie P. Foster 1, Katy M. Duncan 2, April M. Teague 2, Elyse O. Kharbanda 3, Patricia M. McGovern 4, Kara M. Whitaker 5,6, Kathleen M. Rasmussen 7, David A. Fields 2, Lisa J. Harnack 1, David R. Jacobs, Jr. 1 and Ellen W. Demerath 1
Muna J. Tahir 1,*, Jacob L. Haapala 1, Laurie P. Foster 1, Katy M. Duncan 2, April M. Teague 2, Elyse O. Kharbanda 3, Patricia M. McGovern 4, Kara M. Whitaker 5,6, Kathleen M. Rasmussen 7, David A. Fields 2, Lisa J. Harnack 1, David R. Jacobs, Jr. 1 and Ellen W. Demerath 1
1
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
2
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
3
HealthPartners Institute, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
4
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
5
Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
6
Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
7
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2019, 11(4), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040938
Received: 19 March 2019 / Revised: 22 April 2019 / Accepted: 23 April 2019 / Published: 25 April 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation: Implications for Maternal and Infant Health)
Full breastfeeding (FBF) is promoted as effective for losing pregnancy weight during the postpartum period. This study evaluated whether longer FBF is associated with lower maternal postpartum weight retention (PPWR) as compared to a shorter FBF duration. The MILK (Mothers and Infants Linked for Healthy Growth) study is an ongoing prospective cohort of 370 mother–infant dyads, all of whom fully breastfed their infants for at least 1 month. Breastfeeding status was subsequently self-reported by mothers at 3 and 6 months postpartum. Maternal PPWR was calculated as maternal weight measured at 1, 3, and 6 months postpartum minus maternal prepregnancy weight. Using linear mixed effects models, by 6 months postpartum, adjusted means ± standard errors for weight retention among mothers who fully breastfed for 1–3 (3.40 ± 1.16 kg), 3–6 (1.41 ± 0.69 kg), and ≥6 months (0.97 ± 0.32 kg) were estimated. Compared to mothers who reported FBF for 1–3 months, those who reported FBF for 3–6 months and ≥6 months both had lower PPWR over the period from 1 to 6 months postpartum (p = 0.04 and p < 0.01, respectively). However, PPWR from 3 to 6 months was not significantly different among those who reported FBF for 3–6 versus ≥6 months (p > 0.05). Interventions to promote FBF past 3 months may increase the likelihood of postpartum return to prepregnancy weight.
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Keywords:
full breastfeeding; postpartum; weight retention; obesity
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tahir, M.J.; Haapala, J.L.; Foster, L.P.; Duncan, K.M.; Teague, A.M.; Kharbanda, E.O.; McGovern, P.M.; Whitaker, K.M.; Rasmussen, K.M.; Fields, D.A.; Harnack, L.J.; Jacobs, D.R., Jr.; Demerath, E.W. Association of Full Breastfeeding Duration with Postpartum Weight Retention in a Cohort of Predominantly Breastfeeding Women. Nutrients 2019, 11, 938.
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