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The impact of caesarean section on breastfeeding initiation, duration and difficulties in the first four months postpartum

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, April 2016
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  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • Among the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#33 of 4,791)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (98th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (97th percentile)

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Title
The impact of caesarean section on breastfeeding initiation, duration and difficulties in the first four months postpartum
Published in
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, April 2016
DOI 10.1186/s12884-016-0876-1
Pubmed ID
Authors

Amy J. Hobbs, Cynthia A. Mannion, Sheila W. McDonald, Meredith Brockway, Suzanne C. Tough

Abstract

The caesarean section (c-section) rate in Canada is 27.1 %, well above the 5-15 % of deliveries suggested by the World Health Organization in 2009. Emergency and planned c-sections may adversely affect breastfeeding initiation, milk supply and infant breastfeeding receptivity compared to vaginal deliveries. Our study examined mode of delivery and breastfeeding initiation, duration, and difficulties reported by mothers at 4 months postpartum. The All Our Babies study is a prospective pregnancy cohort in Calgary, Alberta, that began in 2008. Participants completed questionnaires at <25 and 34-36 weeks gestation and approximately 4 months postpartum. Demographic, mental health, lifestyle, and health services data were obtained. Women giving birth to singleton infants were included (n = 3021). Breastfeeding rates and difficulties according to mode of birth (vaginal, planned c-section and emergency c-section) were compared using cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. A multivariable logistic regression model was created to examine the association between mode of birth on breastfeeding duration to 12 weeks postpartum. More women who delivered by planned c-section had no intention to breastfeed or did not initiate breastfeeding (7.4 % and 4.3 % respectively), when compared to women with vaginal births (3.4 % and 1.8 %, respectively) and emergency c-section (2.7 % and 2.5 %, respectively). Women who delivered by emergency c-section were found to have a higher proportion of breastfeeding difficulties (41 %), and used more resources before (67 %) and after (58 %) leaving the hospital, when compared to vaginal delivery (29 %, 40 %, and 52 %, respectively) or planned c-sections (33 %, 49 %, and 41 %, respectively). Women who delivered with a planned c-section were more likely (OR = 1.61; 95 % CI: 1.14, 2.26; p = 0.014) to discontinue breastfeeding before 12 weeks postpartum compared to those who delivered vaginally, controlling for income, education, parity, preterm birth, maternal physical and mental health, ethnicity and breastfeeding difficulties. We found that when controlling for socio-demographic and labor and delivery characteristics, planned c-section is associated with early breastfeeding cessation. Anticipatory guidance around breastfeeding could be provided to women considering a planned c-section. As well, additional supportive care could be made available to lactating women with emergency c-sections, within the first 24 hours post birth and throughout the early postpartum period.

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X Demographics

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 929 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Spain 1 <1%
Canada 1 <1%
Unknown 927 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Bachelor 134 14%
Student > Master 127 14%
Student > Ph. D. Student 67 7%
Researcher 50 5%
Student > Doctoral Student 47 5%
Other 168 18%
Unknown 336 36%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Nursing and Health Professions 225 24%
Medicine and Dentistry 187 20%
Social Sciences 30 3%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 23 2%
Psychology 22 2%
Other 94 10%
Unknown 348 37%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 126. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 October 2023.
All research outputs
#330,776
of 25,420,980 outputs
Outputs from BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
#33
of 4,791 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#6,027
of 312,425 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
#3
of 71 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,420,980 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 98th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 4,791 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 9.2. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 312,425 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 71 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.