Persistent Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Reduces Breastfeeding Exclusiveness and Duration: A Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Most research has focused on the role of prenatal mental health difficulties on breastfeeding practices, whereas pregnancy-related anxiety (PrA) has been less studied, despite its high prevalence. Identifying new vulnerable subgroups in which the breastfeeding rate remains low is important for health care workers to implement targeted interventions. This study is aimed to explore the association between PrA and breastfeeding practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 3,033 parent–infant dyads from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort study were included in this research. PrA was assessed by the PrA questionnaire at the second and third trimesters. Breastfeeding practices including the initiation of breastfeeding, delayed lactation, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), and the duration of breastfeeding were collected at 1, 4, 6, and 12 months postpartum. The associations between PrA and breastfeeding practices were evaluated by multinomial logistic regression and a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: In total, 9.26% (281/3,033) of participants reported PrA in both trimesters, indicative of persistent PrA. Compared with participants who never suffered from PrA, participants with persistent PrA had a higher risk of giving up EBF at 4 and 6 months postpartum, and a shorter duration of breastfeeding. These results remained the same after excluding participants who gave up EBF due to depression postpartum. CONCLUSION: Persistent PrA was negatively associated with breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. Addressing PrA might contribute to improved rates of breastfeeding.