Table 1.

Maternal and infant characteristics; late preterm compared with 37 week gestation, infant and mother cohort (Values are in n (%) or mean ± SD)

Variable	37 weeks	34-36 weeks	p value
Mean ± SD	n = 80	n = 67
Maternal
Parity	1 ± 1.3	1 ± 1.3	0.48
Maternal smoking	28 (38.9)	23 (38.3)	0.95
Maternal age	28.3 ± 6.8	27.3 ± 5.9	0.30
Infant
†Caesarean birth	47 (57.5)	41 (61.2)	0.56
Birth weight (grams)	2944 ± 462.3	2556 ± 488.7	<0.001
Apgar at one minute	8 ± 1.5	8 ± 1.7	0.08
Multiple Birth	6 (7.5)	4 (6.0)	0.71
††Initiated breastfeeding	61 (41.5)	31 (21.1)	<0.001
†††Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge	67 (83.7)	40 (59.7)	<0.001

^†Caesarean birth combined data (elective and emergency lower uterine segment caesarean section).

^{† †}Initiated breastfeeding – breastfed or received colostrum within one hour of birth.

^†††Exclusive breastfeeding at discharge, within 24 hours of discharge.