Table 2.
Infants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and maternal breastfeeding habits by gestational categories, n = 3221
| Variables | n | Preterm (< 37 weeks), n = 254 |
Full-Term (37 or more weeks), n = 2967 |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant Characteristics | ||||
| Sex of infant | 3221 | 0.361 | ||
| Male | 127 (50.0) | 1572 (53.0) | ||
| Female | 127 (50.0) | 1395 (47.0) | ||
| Gestational age, Median (IQR) | 3221 | 36 (35–36) | 39 (38–39) | < 0.001** |
| Infant’s birth weight (kg), Median (IQR) | 3221 | 2.4 (2.0–2.9) | 3.1 (2.8–3.4) | < 0.001** |
| Type of delivery | 3219 | < 0.001** | ||
| Standard/Breech Vaginal delivery | 165 (65.0) | 2306 (77.8) | ||
| Forceps/ Vacuum vaginal delivery | 3 (1.2) | 77 (2.6) | ||
| Elective Caesarean | 17 (6.7) | 200 (6.8) | ||
| Emergency Caesarean | 69 (27.2) | 382 (12.9) | ||
| Type of birth complications | 3177 | < 0.001** | ||
| None | 179 (70.5) | 2405 (81.1) | ||
| Foetal distress | 17 (6.7) | 172 (5.8) | ||
| Prolonged labour | 10 (3.9) | 86 (2.9) | ||
| Meconium stained liquor | 3 (1.2) | 39 (1.3) | ||
| Neonatal jaundice | 33 (13.0) | 243 (8.2) | ||
| Congenital abnormalities | - | 4 (0.1) | ||
| Maternal postpartum haemorrhage | 10 (3.9) | 24 (0.8) | ||
| APGAR score (1 min), Median (IQR) | 3152 | 9 (9–9) | 9 (9–9) | < 0.001** |
| APGAR score (5 min), Median (IQR) | 3153 | 9 (9–9) | 9 (9–9) | 0.174 |
| Maternal Breastfeeding Habits | ||||
| Breastfed Infant | 3216 | 0.015* | ||
| Yes | 243 (96.1) | 2911 (98.3) | ||
| No | 10 (4.0) | 52 (1.8) | ||
| Reasons for not breastfeedingb, n = 62 | 55 | 1.000 | ||
| Did not want to | 3 (42.9) | 22 (45.8) | ||
| Wanted to, but was not able to | 3 (42.9) | 21 (43.8) | ||
| Was not allowed to | 1 (14.3) | 5 (10.4) | ||
| Duration of breastfeeding (weeks)c, Median (IQR), n = 3154 | 3126 | 12 (7–17) | 11(7–17) | 0.975 |
Values are numbers (percentage) unless stated otherwise
*Statistically significant (p < 0.05); ** Statistically significant (p < 0.001)
aPercentage was calculated from a total that excluded the “missing” & “refused to answer” categories
bOnly includes mothers who have never breastfed their babies
cOnly includes mothers who are still breastfeeding until the point of the interview
dOnly includes mothers who have breastfed but are no longer breastfeeding