Table 1.
Characteristics and breastfeeding practices reported at three weeks among mothers practicing different breastfeeding modes at three months postpartum (n = 500) 1.
| All Participants (n = 500) |
Direct Breastfeeding (n = 217, 43.4%) |
Mixed Feeding (Direct and Expressed) (n = 200, 40.0%) |
Expressed Breast Milk Only (n = 83, 16.6%) |
p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal Age (years), Mean ± SD | 31.7 ± 4.6 | 31.9 ± 5.0 | 31.6 ± 4.3 | 31.6 ± 4.2 | 0.657 |
| Pre-pregnancy BMI (kg/m2) | 0.432 | ||||
| <18.5 | 62 | 21 (33.9) | 30 (48.4) | 11 (17.7) | |
| 18.5–<23 | 273 | 114 (41.8) | 113 (41.4) | 46 (16.8) | |
| 23–<27.5 | 122 | 59 (48.4) | 43 (35.2) | 20 (16.4) | |
| ≥27.5 | 43 | 23 (53.5) | 14 (32.6) | 6 (14.0) | |
| Ethnicity | <0.001 | ||||
| Chinese | 322 | 102 (31.7) | 150 (46.6) | 70 (21.7) | |
| Malay | 90 | 57 (63.3) | 28 (31.1) | 5 (5.6) | |
| Indian | 88 | 58 (65.9) | 22 (25.0) | 8 (9.1) | |
| Maternal Education | <0.001 | ||||
| No education/Primary/Secondary | 82 | 57 (69.5) | 18 (22.0) | 7 (8.5) | |
| Technical College/Pre-university | 152 | 70 (46.1) | 60 (39.5) | 22 (14.5) | |
| University | 266 | 90 (33.8) | 122 (45.9) | 54 (20.3) | |
| Parity | <0.001 | ||||
| Primipara | 230 | 76 (33.0) | 100 (43.5) | 54 (23.5) | |
| Multipara | 270 | 141 (52.2) | 100 (37.0) | 29 (10.7) | |
| Gestational Age (weeks), Mean ± SD | 39.0 ± 1.0 | 39.0 ± 1.0 | 38.9 ± 1.0 | 39.1 ± 0.9 | 0.269 |
| Child’s Birth Weight (g), Mean ± SD | 3167.3 ± 384.3 | 3135.5 ± 361.9 | 3194.2 ± 401.6 | 3185.9 ± 397.0 | 0.265 |
| Child’s Birth Weight Percentile | 0.605 | ||||
| SGA (<10%) | 55 | 28 (50.9) | 17 (30.9) | 10 (18.2) | |
| AGA (10–90%) | 365 | 158 (43.3) | 148 (40.5) | 59 (16.2) | |
| LGA (>90%) | 80 | 31 (38.8) | 35 (43.8) | 14 (17.5) | |
| Child’s sex | 0.022 | ||||
| Male | 264 | 101 (38.3) | 120 (45.5) | 43 (16.3) | |
| Female | 236 | 116 (49.2) | 80 (33.9) | 40 (16.9) | |
| Delivery Mode | 0.966 | ||||
| Vaginal | 355 | 155 (43.7) | 142 (40.0) | 58 (16.3) | |
| Caesarean Section | 145 | 62 (42.8) | 58 (40.0) | 25 (17.2) | |
| Working during 1st Trimester Pregnancy | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 130 | 89 (68.5) | 29 (22.3) | 12 (9.2) | |
| Yes | 370 | 128 (34.6) | 171 (46.2) | 71 (19.2) | |
| Planned to Breastfeed | 0.863 | ||||
| No | 6 | 2 (33.3) | 3 (50.0) | 1 (16.7) | |
| Yes | 494 | 215 (43.5) | 197 (39.9) | 82 (16.6) | |
| Experienced Pain When Breastfeeding 3 | 0.537 | ||||
| No | 184 | 84 (45.7) | 74 (40.2) | 26 (14.1) | |
| Yes | 296 | 126 (42.6) | 117 (39.5) | 53 (17.9) | |
| Mother‘s Perceived Milk Yield 2,3 | <0.001 | ||||
| More than Enough | 132 | 49 (37.1) | 72 (54.5) | 11 (8.3) | |
| Just Enough | 194 | 92 (47.4) | 78 (40.2) | 24 (12.4) | |
| Not Enough | 153 | 68 (44.4) | 43 (28.1) | 42 (27.5) | |
| Breastfeeding Schedule 2,3 | 0.001 | ||||
| On Demand | 261 | 120 (46.0) | 112 (42.9) | 29 (11.1) | |
| Regularly 2–3 Hourly | 164 | 59 (36.0) | 68 (41.5) | 37 (22.6) | |
| Regularly 4 Hourly, or Irregularly | 52 | 30 (57.7) | 12 (23.1) | 10 (19.2) | |
| Breastfed at Night 2,3 | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 73 | 17 (23.3) | 21 (28.8) | 35 (47.9) | |
| Yes | 409 | 193 (47.2) | 172 (42.1) | 44 (10.8) | |
| Duration of Any Breastfeeding, Mean ± SD | 9.2 ± 4.4 | 9.5 ± 4.7 | 9.7 ± 4.2 | 7.1 ± 3.6 | <0.001 |
| Duration of Full Breastfeeding, Mean ± SD | 2.3 ± 2.1 | 2.3 ± 2.0 | 2.5 ± 2.2 | 1.6 ± 1.6 | 0.001 |
1 Data presented are n (%) unless otherwise stated. 2 Number of participants with missing data: Mother’s perceived milk yield (n = 21); Breastfeeding schedule (n = 23); Breastfed at night (n = 18). 3 At three weeks post-delivery. AGA: appropriate for gestational age; LGA: large for gestational age; SGA: small for gestational age.