Descriptive analysis* of antenatal and delivery characteristics
| Variable | Breastfeeding at 10 days (%) | Breastfeeding at 6 weeks (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gestation | 34–36+6 | 37+ | 34–36+6 | 37+ |
| N (sample size) | 365 (437) | 9230 (11 292) | 281 (365) | 7547 (9230) |
| Parity | ||||
| Primiparous | 86.9 | 83.0 | 73.6 | 79.7 |
| Multiparous who breastfed <6 weeks | 62.9 | 65.4 | 63.6 | 69.5 |
| Multiparous who breastfed >6 weeks | 96.9 | 94.9 | 84.8 | 89.1 |
| Aware of the health benefits of breastfeeding | ||||
| No | 77.7 | 79.6 | 72.1 | 80.4 |
| Yes | 88.0 | 85.1 | 75.5 | 82.1 |
| Antenatal feeding intention | ||||
| Breastfeeding | 90.9 | 88.2 | 82.4 | 84.7 |
| Infant formula | 68.3 | 39.2 | 31.6 | 54.4 |
| Combination feed | 75.6 | 81.6 | 58.2 | 74.5 |
| Not decided | 69.8 | 69.8 | 61.0 | 72.8 |
| Knew other mothers with young infants during pregnancy and their feeding methods | ||||
| Mothers who formula fed | 79.6 | 74.9 | 59.6 | 75.5 |
| Mothers mixed fed | 85.7 | 85.3 | 80.4 | 81.1 |
| Mothers who breastfed | 99.2 | 94.3 | 92.0 | 91.2 |
| Did not know other mothers | 81.1 | 84.9 | 79.4 | 82.7 |
| Type of birth | ||||
| NVD | 85.0 | 85.0 | 76.1 | 82.4 |
| Instrumental | 97.1 | 83.5 | 71.7 | 82.7 |
| Caesarean | 83.4 | 83.1 | 75.4 | 80.3 |
| Neonatal unit admission | ||||
| No | 86.2 | 84.4 | 81.7 | 82.2 |
| Yes | 84.7 | 83.2 | 67.8 | 78.6 |
| Length of stay in hospital | ||||
| <12 h | 81.1 | 83.7 | 96.8 | 81.1 |
| 12–24 h | 75.2 | 85.9 | 91.8 | 82.7 |
| 1–2 days | 87.0 | 84.4 | 76.7 | 83.2 |
| 3–7 days | 87.2 | 81.7 | 75.7 | 79.5 |
| >7 days | 85.5 | 85.8 | 67.9 | 80.2 |
| Not born in hospital | 93.9 | 93.9 | 35.1 | 90.9 |
| Gestation (weeks) | ||||
| 34 | 85.6 | – | 71.8 | – |
| 35 | 85.9 | – | 71.5 | – |
| 36 | 85.4 | – | 78.1 | – |
| 37 | – | 81.3 | – | 81.0 |
| 38 | – | 83.3 | – | 83.3 |
| 39 | – | 84.1 | – | 81.5 |
| 40 | – | 86.1 | – | 82.4 |
| 41 | – | 83.5 | – | 81.1 |
| 42+ | 84.4 | – | 83.1 | |
*Per cent rounded to 1 decimal point (weighted). Frequencies (n) are unweighted values.
NVD, normal vaginal delivery.