Breastfeeding Outcomes and Longitudinal Weight Trajectories Among Mother-Infants Dyads Receiving Community-Based Lactation Support During the First Six Weeks of Life

Abstract

Early postnatal period is a critical window for establishing effective breastfeeding practices, yet mothers in rural communities’ have limited access to continued, skilled lactation support post-delivery. This study aimed to assess maternal breastfeeding knowledge and longitudinal infant weight gain patterns within the first six weeks after birth. Infant weight was recorded at Days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42. Breastfeeding knowledge was measured pre- and post-support intervention in three areas: infant positioning, latching and effective suckling, and overall breastfeeding knowledge. Changes in infant weight during follow-up were analysed using repeated measures analysis and linear mixed effects modelling with a random intercept specific to the infant to correct for within-infant correlations. Secondary factors of NICU admission and its interaction with time were explored. There was a significant increase in knowledge of appropriate positioning from 12.7% at baseline to 97.3% at Day 42, and in knowledge of latching and sucking from 28.2% to 81.8%. Mean weight from 2877 ± 444 g at Day 0 and subsequently increased to 3863 ± 464 g by Day 42. There was a significant time effect on infant weight (F = 1770, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.942) with repeated measures analysis. The linear mixed-effects model yielded a strong longitudinal time effect (F (6,654) = 1770, p < 0.001), and a high ICC of 0.941 was observed in terms of the clustering of infants in the model. NICU had significantly lower overall weight than the non-NICU infants (F (1,108) = 5.80, p = 0.018), But rigorous clinical trials that involve non-counselled NICU subsets are required to assess the efficacy of the intervention alone and its post-NICU growth outcomes.