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Obstetrics & Gynecology 2007;109:73-80
© 2007 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Simple Antenatal Preparation to Improve Breastfeeding Practice

A Randomized Controlled Trial

Citra Nurfarah Mattar, MMed (O&G), MRANZCOG1, Yap-Seng Chong, MRACOG, MD2, Yah-Shih Chan, BHSc (Nursing)1, Annabel Chew, MBBS2, Petrina Tan, MBBS2, Yiong-Huak Chan, PhD3 and Mary How-Jing Rauff, FRCOG2

From the 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Singapore; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and 3Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.

OBJECTIVE: To address the impact of simple antenatal educational interventions on breastfeeding practice.

METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was carried out in a tertiary referral center from May 2002 to December 2004. A random sample of eligible low-risk antenatal patients was recruited from clinics in the National University Hospital, Singapore. Group A received breastfeeding educational material and individual coaching from a lactation counselor. Group B received breastfeeding educational material with no counseling. Group C received routine antenatal care only.

RESULTS: A total of 401 women were recruited. Mothers receiving individual counseling and educational material practiced exclusive and predominant breastfeeding more often than mothers receiving routine care alone at 3 months (odds ratio [OR] 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–5.4) and 6 months (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0–5.7) postpartum. More mothers practiced exclusive and predominant breastfeeding at 6 months among women receiving individual counseling compared with women exposed to educational material alone (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0–6.3).

CONCLUSION: Where breastfeeding practices are suboptimal, simple one-encounter antenatal education and counseling significantly improve breastfeeding practice up to 3 months after delivery. Provision of printed or audiovisual educational material is not enough. Health care workers should make every effort to have one face-to-face encounter to discuss breastfeeding with expectant mothers before they deliver.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT002770192

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I




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L.-L. Su, Y.-S. Chong, Y.-H. Chan, Y.-S. Chan, D. Fok, K.-T. Tun, F. S P Ng, and M. Rauff
Antenatal education and postnatal support strategies for improving rates of exclusive breast feeding: randomised controlled trial
BMJ, September 22, 2007; 335(7620): 596 - 596.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Copyright © 2007 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.