Breast-feeding in relation to weight retention up to 36 months postpartum in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study: modification by socio-economic status?

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the association between full breast-feeding up to 6 months as well as partial breast-feeding after 6 months and maternal weight retention at 6, 18 and 36 months after delivery in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Design: Cohort study. Information on exposure and outcome was collected by questionnaire. Setting: Norway. Subjects: Women at 6 months (n 49 676), 18 months (n 27 187) and 36 months (n 17 343) postpartum. Results: Longer duration of full breast-feeding as well as partial breast-feeding was significantly related to lower weight retention at 6 months. At 18 months full breast-feeding (0-6 months) and partial breast-feeding for 12-18 months were significantly related to lower weight retention. At 36 months only full breastfeeding (0-6 months) was significantly related to lower weight retention. For each additional month of full breast-feeding, maternal weight was lowered by 0?50 kg/month at 6 months, 0?10 kg/month at 18 months and 0?14 kg/month at 36 months (adjusted for pre-pregnant BMI, pregnancy weight gain, age and parity). Partial breast-feeding resulted in 0?25 kg/month lower maternal weight at 6 months. Interactions were found between household income and full breastfeeding in relation to weight retention at 6, 18 and 36 months, indicating most benefit among women with low income. Conclusions: The present study supports the hypothesis that full breast-feeding contributes to lower postpartum weight retention and shows that the effect is maintained for as long as 3 years postpartum.

Adherence to Breastfeeding Guidelines and Maternal Weight 6 Years After Delivery

“…Brandhagen and colleagues 44 conducted a longitudinal study among Norwegian women at various points for 3 years postpartum. They found an inverse association between breastfeeding (measured as full, partial, or none) and weight retention after controlling for prepregnancy BMI, pregnancy weight gain, maternal age, and parity.…”

“…24,28,44 However, multiple factors, such as women’s BMI, physical activity, and diet, and organizational factors such as hospital maternity practices and worksite lactation support programs, influence breastfeeding and thus postpartum weight retention. 7 Among populations who experience high rates of obesity and low rates of breastfeeding, interventions that address lifestyle behaviors related to healthy weight and breastfeeding may be an effective way to reduce postpartum weight retention.…”

Maternal Prepregnant Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain Are Associated with Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding among Norwegian Mothers

“…The sample selected for the present analyses has previously been described in detail (4). Briefly, all 67,023 women in the MoBa cohort who had delivered a singleton live-birth infant and who had information available in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) (19) as well as from the MoBa questionnaires 1 and 4 were included ( Figure 1; see further details below).…”

“…One health effect of obesity that has received relatively less attention is its impact on the motherÕs ability to initiate and sustain breastfeeding (2,3). This could have immediate health consequences for the mother herself, whose body weight renormalization process may be compromised if lactation is not successful (4), which may further lead to longterm health consequences. Recent results from the Norwegian Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT) study showed significant inverse associations between lifetime duration of lactation and BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, serum lipids, and cardiovascular mortality (5,6).…”

Lactation and Maternal Cardio-Metabolic Health

“…Among 17,343 mothers in the prospective Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, lactation was associated with a modest reduction in postpartum weight retention. For each additional month of full breastfeeding (no infant formula, other milks, or solid foods) through 6 months, maternal weight at 36 months postpartum was lower by 0.14 kg/month, adjusting for prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, age, and parity (6). Among a national sample of 10,524 mothers in Ireland, those who breastfed >1 to <6 months and 6 months or more had a lower odds of obesity [odds ratio (OR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.66, 0.97 and OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.52, 0.81, respectively] at 9 months postpartum compared to mothers who did not breastfeed (76).…”