Overweight mothers are more likely to stop breastfeeding

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Despite heavily promoted benefits to infant and maternal health, a very small percentage of all mothers in the UK meet World Health Organisation recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. While around 80 percent initiate breastfeeding, less than one-fifth of babies are breast fed exclusively to three months (17 percent) and very few (1 percent) are breast fed exclusively to six months.

The study of 17,113 mothers from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a nationally representative longitudinal survey of live babies born in the UK between 2000 and 2002, found that of the sample, 70 per cent of mothers initiated breastfeeding. Once researchers accounted for background characteristics such as education level and age, they found that underweight, healthy weight, and overweight mothers are similarly likely to begin breastfeeding.

But, having initiated breastfeeding, overweight mothers are more likely to cease within the first week. Among all those who initiate breastfeeding, overweight mothers are also less likely to continue beyond the 4 months stage, and the introduction of solid foods. For example, controlling for background characteristics, 18% of healthy weight mothers who begin breastfeeding cease within the first week, compared to 26% of overweight mothers. Also, 38% of healthy weight mothers who initiate breastfeeding continue beyond the 4 month mark, compared to 32% of mothers whose BMI is classed as overweight, and 27% of mothers whose BMI is classed as obese.

Is It Ok for Mothers to Overeat During Breastfeeding?

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Mothers who overeat during the period when they are breastfeeding may have children who are at increased risk of becoming obese and going through early puberty, a new study of mice suggests. Early puberty may lead to increased risk of diabetes or reproductive problems later in life, according to the research, which will be presented Sunday, March 18 at ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society's 100th annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.

"Formula feeding is well known to increase the risk of obesity in children. Our findings suggest, however, that when breastfeeding mothers do not eat a moderate and healthy diet, there can also be increased risks of various health problems in the offspring, including obesity, diabetes, advanced puberty and reduced fertility," said lead researcher Mengjie Wang, M.D., M.S., a graduate research assistant at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences in Toledo, Ohio. "This idea must be tested in humans to know whether it applies to our species."

Wang noted that all over the world, puberty is starting earlier than it did in the past. "Childhood obesity, a common health issue, is one of the risk factors for early puberty," she said. "Previous evidence from animals has revealed that post-weaning overeating advances the timing of puberty, but we lack knowledge of how nutrition before weaning influences metabolism and reproduction."